Another “tiger” has fallen in the Chinese officials’ circle. Zhang Xiaolian, Deputy Director of the Economic Committee of the Thirteenth National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), is under investigation. This brings the total to 49 senior officials publicly reported to be under investigation by the authorities this year.
On October 21st, the official website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission of the Communist Party of China announced that Zhang Xiaolian, Deputy Director of the Economic Committee of the Thirteenth National Committee of the CPPCC, is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, and is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervisory investigation.
Public records show that Zhang Xiaolian, born in April 1964 in Liangshan, Jining, Shandong Province, graduated from the Department of Forestry and Forest Pest Control at Beijing Forestry University in July 1986 and stayed at the university after graduation.
Starting in December 1989, Zhang Xiaolian served as the Deputy Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League; in November 1998, at the age of 34, he succeeded Jilin as the Secretary of the Miyun County Committee and was promoted to the position of a bureau-level official as the Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League. From August 2001, Zhang Xiaolian served as the Deputy Secretary, Deputy District Chief, and Acting District Chief of Fangshan District, Beijing.
In March 2005, Zhang Xiaolian worked in Heilongjiang Province, serving as Assistant Governor and Party Secretary of the Provincial Forestry Bureau (China Longjiang Forest Industry Group General Company). In 2006, he became the Secretary of the Mudanjiang Municipal Committee of Heilongjiang Province. Starting in 2007, he served as the Deputy Secretary of the Harbin Municipal Committee and Mayor. In 2010, Zhang Xiaolian was appointed as a Standing Committee Member of the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee and Minister of the Propaganda Department while holding the position of Mayor of Harbin.
In November 2018, Zhang Xiaolian, aged 54, became the Deputy Director of the Agricultural and Rural Committee of the National Committee of the CPPCC, and in August 2020, he was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Economic Committee of the National Committee of the CPPCC before stepping down in January 2023.
It is noteworthy that following the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, four high-ranking officials in Heilongjiang Province, where Zhang Xiaolian has served, have been investigated, including Qu Min, Li Haitao, Wang Yixin, and Li Xianguang. Apart from Wang Yixin, Zhang Xiaolian had intersecting career paths with the other three.
Furthermore, with Zhang Xiaolian’s downfall, the total number of senior officials publicly reported to be under investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission of the Communist Party of China this year has risen to 49.