Reader Group’s former chairman, Jixiping, who has been retired for nearly 7 years, was investigated yesterday (7th). His successor, Wang Yongsheng, had already been taken down on the same day 6 years ago.
On June 7th, the Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision of Gansu Province of the Chinese Communist Party announced that Jixiping, a former member of the People’s Congress Education, Science, Culture, and Health Committee of Gansu Province, is suspected of “serious violations of discipline and law” and is currently under investigation.
Public records show that Jixiping, born in July 1954 in Gongyi, Henan Province, has worked in Gansu for a long time. He has held various positions such as Deputy Secretary of the Qingyang City Committee, Commissioner of the Administration, Secretary of the Qingyang City Committee, Secretary of the Qingyang Municipal Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the Gansu Provincial Government (ministerial level), Deputy Minister of the Propaganda Department of the Gansu Provincial Committee (ministerial level), Executive Deputy Minister of the Propaganda Department of the Gansu Provincial Committee (ministerial level), and a member of the People’s Congress Education, Science, Culture, and Health Committee of Gansu Province.
In May 2009, Jixiping, who was a member of the People’s Congress Education, Science, Culture, and Health Committee of Gansu Province, also took on the roles of Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman, General Manager (Editor-in-Chief) of the Reader Group, Chairman of Reader Publishing Media Co., Ltd., and later served as Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Reader Publishing Media Co., Ltd. He stepped down in April 2016 and retired in September 2017.
In contrast to Jixiping being taken down after retiring for nearly 7 years, Wang Yongsheng, who took over as Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Reader Group from Jixiping, had been taken down as early as June 7, 2018.
On April 30, 2020, Wang Yongsheng was sentenced to 14 years in prison for the crimes of “bribery, unclear sources of huge assets, and abuse of power by personnel of state-owned enterprises”. It was reported by mainland China Finance Network that Wang Yongsheng’s downfall may be related to the case of Wang Sanyun.
Wang Sanyun was in power in Gansu for more than 5 years since December 2011, fell from grace in July 2017, and was sentenced to 12 years in prison on April 11, 2019.