Former chairman of China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), Fu Chengyu, has reportedly been taken down after more than a decade since his retirement. Fu served as a close confidant of former Vice President Zeng Qinghong, who had substantial influence over the oil industry, an area notorious for corruption within the Communist Party of China (CPC).
On October 31, the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission announced that Fu Chengyu, who held positions as the party secretary and chairman of Sinopec, is under investigation for allegedly serious violations of discipline and law.
Fu Chengyu was born in 1951 in Heilongjiang province and graduated from the geology department of Northeast Petroleum University. He later obtained a master’s degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Southern California. Fu began his career in the oil industry in 1982 by joining the China National Offshore Oil Corporation and dedicated over 40 years of service to the sector. Throughout his tenure, he held key positions in various Sino-foreign cooperative oilfield projects and served as the deputy general manager and general manager of China National Offshore Oil’s Eastern South China Sea Company, in addition to being the deputy general manager, general manager, and party secretary of the corporation itself.
He officially took on the role of party secretary and chairman of Sinopec on April 8, 2011, and retired on May 4, 2015, upon reaching the retirement age.
Fu was also a member of the 17th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC and a standing committee member of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
The oil sectors, including Sinopec, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), have historically been plagued by corruption, long controlled by factions loyal to Jiang Zemin and Zhou Yongkang. Fu Chengyu is widely considered one of Zeng Qinghong’s close allies within this framework.
Zeng Qinghong and Zhou Yongkang were the respective leaders of what is known as the “oil faction.” Following the 18th Party Congress, Xi Jinping initiated a campaign to purge Jiang’s faction from power. The downfall of Zhou Yongkang made the oil faction a primary target for scrutiny and significant numbers of executives associated with him faced corruption charges, including high-profile figures like Jiang Jiemin and Wang Yongchun.
In a notable incident on November 24, 2014, officials from the discipline inspection agency entered Sinopec’s offices. That day, state media aired footage of these officials discussing matters with Fu Chengyu, a move that the Wall Street Journal termed “very unusual.”
During the 2013 “two sessions” of the CPC, a representative openly questioned the excessively high incomes of senior executives in state-owned enterprises, particularly monopolistic ones. Fu, at that time also a standing committee member of the CPPCC, defended the salaries of Sinopec’s ordinary employees, stating that a monthly wage of 1,300 yuan was too low and made it difficult to hire even a nanny. Analysts speculated that Fu’s comments aimed to divert public attention from earlier scandals alleging the extravagant lifestyles of Sinopec’s senior officials.
Previously, it was reported that an unauthorized expenditure of 800 million yuan was used to construct the Beijing Shunyi Heyuan Jingyi Hotel, which was perceived as a “palace” for Sinopec’s top officials, where they indulged in opulent lifestyles.
Fu Chengyu’s indictment serves as the latest in a series of investigations targeting retired officials. On October 13 of this year, former Chongqing Vice Mayor and Mayor Huang Qifan was suddenly placed under investigation, shocking both domestic and international observers.
Independent commentator Du Zheng recently noted that Xi Jinping is conducting a widespread purge in the party, targeting not only current members of the Central Committee but also delving into past transactions and possibly re-opening cases against established figures. The investigation of Huang Qifan nearly a decade after his tenure exemplifies this trend. Numerous reports suggest there are many former or current officials expected to face similar scrutiny in the near future.