Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region’s Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Autonomous Region Government, Lan Tianli, was reported and investigated by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on May 16, becoming the second provincial-level government leader to be investigated during his tenure since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2022. Back in April, Jin Xiangjun, Deputy Secretary of the Shanxi Provincial Party Committee and Governor, also fell from power.
According to Hong Kong media predictions, Lan Tianli’s case may involve corruption in non-ferrous metals, and it is expected that at least 800 officials and businessmen will be implicated.
Lan Tianli, 63 years old, of Zhuang ethnicity from Hechi, Guangxi, has spent his career in Guangxi and has been referred to as the “King of Guangxi” and the “Zhuang King.”
After Lan Tianli was investigated, Chen Gang, the Party Secretary of the Guangxi CPC Committee, immediately took a firm stance, stating that Lan Tianli was suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, severely undermining the political ecology and development environment of Guangxi, providing a “very profound lesson.”
Prior reports revealed that Lan Tianli’s wife Wei Xiaoyan, his brother, and even his son were arrested, and not even his secretary was spared.
On May 20, Chen Gang chaired another meeting, demanding that Guangxi prioritize the prevention and control of heavy metal environmental pollution as a “major political task,” and he proclaimed a thorough reform with the courage to “cut off the wrist” like a warrior.
Chen Gang also proposed for the first time a “special action to investigate illegal mining and heavy metal pollution issues over the past ten years,” ordering a focus on handling problems such as collusion between officials and businessmen, official corruption, and serious violations by enterprises.
On May 22, pro-CCP Hong Kong media, “Sing Tao Daily,” analyzed and believed that Guangxi’s “ten-year retrospective investigation” operation bears similarities to Inner Mongolia’s “twenty-year retrospective investigation” into coal corruption launched in 2020.
The Inner Mongolia operation involved at least 736 cases being filed, with 1656 individuals being held accountable, including at least five high-ranking officials at the provincial level, 69 officials at the department level, and 243 officials at the county level.
The article from “Sing Tao” suggested that if we were to halve the results of Inner Mongolia’s “twenty-year retrospective investigation,” it is believed that at least 800 officials and businessmen in Guangxi will be held accountable.
According to Australian-based anti-communist internet celebrity Yin Ke (pseudonym “Jiang Wangzheng”), Beijing has already classified Lan Tianli’s case as “treason.” Following Lan Tianli’s investigation, Guo Shengkun and officials promoted by him in Guangxi were also summoned.
Guo Shengkun had long governed Guangxi and later rose to become a member of the CCP Political Bureau and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. He is not only a close associate of Zeng Qinghong, a former member of the Politburo of the CCP and a prominent figure in the Jiang faction, but also said to be Zeng Qinghong’s nephew-in-law.
Yin Ke also revealed that another former subordinate of Guo Shengkun from Guangxi is also facing “serious issues,” potentially becoming the third provincial-level “big shot” to be removed from office after Jin Xiangjun and Lan Tianli.
“News Exposure” Production Team