In a continuous wave of purges within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), five provincial-level officials were successively announced to be under investigation by the authorities on September 11th and 12th, within just two days. Among them, three officials were disciplined on the same day for “resisting organizational review.”
On September 12th, the CCP Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission website announced the discipline and judicial transfer of Zhang Zulin, former Vice Governor of Yunnan Province, and Li Haitao, former Vice Chairman of the Heilongjiang Provincial Political Consultative Conference. It was reported that Zhang Zulin was being investigated. His charges include possessing and reading “materials with serious political problems,” engaging in cliques and factions, and forming gangs. Zhang Zulin was expelled from the Party, his benefits were revoked, and he was transferred to the judiciary for prosecution.
On March 1, 2024, Zhang Zulin’s investigation was made public, making him the second “tiger” from Yunnan Province since the 20th National Congress of the CCP.
Public records show that Zhang Zulin’s remarks have sparked widespread attention. At a meeting on the construction of affordable housing in urban areas in June 2012, Zhang Zulin stated, “It is very common for personnel in departments with power and money to own four or five houses. They are unwilling to rent out the extra houses at low prices, leaving those without houses to rent at high prices.”
Also announced on the same day as Zhang Zulin was Li Haitao, former Vice Chairman of the Heilongjiang Provincial Political Consultative Conference. The CCP stated that Li Haitao was “disloyal and dishonest, involved in superstitious activities, frequented private clubs, was extremely greedy, illegally accepted huge sums of money,” leading to his expulsion from the Party and dismissal from public office.
On September 11th, three officials in the CCP were disciplined by the authorities. Li Xianguang, former Deputy Director of the Heilongjiang Provincial People’s Congress Standing Committee, Liu Yuejin, member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (deputy ministerial level), and Li Yong, former General Manager of China National Offshore Oil Corporation, were all among those disciplined.
According to the official reports of the CCP, Li Xianguang was disciplined for “discrediting the Party’s central policies, resisting organizational review,” engaging in money and sex transactions, lacking disciplinary awareness, illegally probing inspection information, and retaining classified documents. He was expelled from the Party and removed from public office.
On September 11, Liu Yuejin, member of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC (deputy ministerial level), was investigated and disciplined. The CCP official report stated that Liu Yuejin was “disloyal and dishonest to the Party, resisted organizational review,” privately retaining classified documents, engaged in corruption, and money-for-power transactions. Liu Yuejin was expelled from the Party, his benefits were revoked, and he was transferred to the judiciary.
Public records show that Liu Yuejin, 65, was born in Ningyuan, Hunan, and served in the public security system for a long time. He served as the director of the Anti-Drug Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security and was the head of the special task force investigating the 2011 attack on Chinese sailors in the Golden Triangle. The case was investigated under the leadership of Meng Jianzhu, the former Minister of Public Security in the CCP, and later turned into the CCP’s film “Operation Mekong,” where the prototype of the director of the Anti-Drug Bureau was Liu Yuejin.
After Guo Shengkun succeeded Meng Jianzhu as Minister of Public Security in 2012, Liu Yuejin was appointed as Assistant Minister of Public Security in November 2014, becoming one of Guo Shengkun’s subordinates. Both Meng Jianzhu and Guo Shengkun were key figures of the “Jiang faction,” led by the late CCP leader Jiang Zemin and former member of the Politburo Standing Committee, Zeng Qinghong.
In May 2015, Liu Yuejin became the Deputy Director of the CCP National Narcotics Control Commission and Director of the Office of the National Narcotics Control Commission, and in December of the same year, he became the CCP’s first and only Commissioner for Counter-Terrorism, reaching the deputy ministerial level.
In June 2020, the leadership information of Liu Yuejin was removed from the official website of the Ministry of Public Security of the CCP, indicating his departure.
On September 11th, in the CCP announcement regarding the former General Manager of China National Offshore Oil Corporation, Li Yong, it was stated that Li Yong resisted organizational review, frequently accepted banquets arranged by suppliers, played golf activities, engaged in money and sex transactions, shamelessly “feeding on oil,” had a long association with illegal businessmen, conducted corrupt transactions for power, performed tasks domestically and received money abroad.
The announcement stated that Li Yong was expelled from the Party, his benefits were revoked, and he was transferred to the judiciary.
Wang Juntao, Chairman of the National Committee of the China Democracy Party, previously stated in an interview with the Epoch Times that the CCP’s rigorous cleansing of officials within the party is a strong display of power. Xi Jinping, the CCP leader, is intimidating these officials to prevent any disloyal thoughts towards him. However, a dictator maintains his “fighting spirit” through ongoing purges, the consequence of which accelerates its downfall.