On August 24, 2026, Chen Wu, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), “died” in Beijing at the age of 72. Over the past year, Chen Wu had been frequently absent from high-level meetings of the CPPCC. Chen Wu had previously served as the Chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government. His former deputy, who succeeded him as the Chairman of the Guangxi Autonomous Region government, Lan Tianli, was ousted on May 16, 2025.
The official announcement of Chen Wu’s passing was made by Xinhua News Agency, the official media of the Chinese Communist Party, on August 24, 2026, at 5:05 p.m. in Beijing. However, the authorities did not disclose the cause of Chen Wu’s illness.
Public records indicate that Chen Wu, who was of Zhuang ethnicity, was born in Chongzuo City, Guangxi, in November 1954. He had a long career in the Guangxi government, holding various positions such as Secretary-General of the Guangxi Autonomous Region government, Director of the General Office, Party Secretary, Vice Chairman of the Guangxi government, member of the Autonomous Region Party Committee, Secretary of the Nanning Municipal Party Committee, among others. In March 2013, he was appointed as the Deputy Secretary of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Party Committee and Chairman of the Autonomous Region government. He stepped down in October 2020, and later served as the Deputy Director of the National People’s Congress Finance and Economic Affairs Committee in November 2020. In March 2023, he became the Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC, which elevated his status to a vice-national level.
A week before his passing, on August 17, 2026, Chen Wu was absent from the memorial ceremony commemorating the birthday of former CCP leader Jiang Zemin.
In the past year, Chen Wu had been consistently missing from meetings of the CPPCC Chairman, Standing Committee, and other high-level conferences.
On June 22, 2026, Chen Wu attended the CPPCC Chairman’s meeting but subsequently missed the opening and closing ceremonies of the 17th Standing Committee meeting of the CPPCC on June 23 and 24.
Before that, Chen Wu was absent from various meetings, including the opening sessions of the CPPCC and the National People’s Congress in March 2026.
According to the CPPCC official website, Chen Wu was also absent from the 46th Chairman’s meeting in February 2026 and the 15th Standing Committee meeting in March 2026.
During the 11 publicized chairman meetings of the CPPCC in 2025, Chen Wu was absent from the meetings held on April 29 and May 28, 2025.
In May 2025, Lan Tianli, who was previously the deputy to Chen Wu and served as Chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government, was announced to have been ousted. Lan Tianli had been Chen Wu’s deputy for nearly five years. During Chen Wu’s tenure as Chairman of the Guangxi Autonomous Region government from April 2013 to October 2020, Lan Tianli served as Vice Chairman and Executive Vice Chairman of the Autonomous Region government.
On December 4, 2026, Lan Tianli was officially investigated for violating party discipline and corrupt behavior. The report accused him of forming cliques within the party, nurturing personal power, engaging in speculative activities, colluding with political impostors, counteracting inspections, irregularly appointing and promoting officials, being extremely greedy, abusing his authority for personal gains in project contracting, and engaging in corrupt practices.
After Lan Tianli’s removal from office, a continuous purge of officials in the Guangxi government ensued.