On November 7, 2025, Fang Hongwei, the secretary of the Xi’an Municipal Party Committee of the Communist Party of China, was reported to have been taken down from office. Prior to this, he had been absent from important events for several days, and news of his arrest emerged on the 6th of November. Being a native of Fuping, the hometown of the General Secretary of the CCP, Xi Jinping, and also Xi’s classmate from Tsinghua University, Fang Hongwei’s situation has drawn attention from the public.
The website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and National Supervision of the CCP announced on the evening of November 7 that Fang Hongwei, a member of the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee and Secretary of the Xi’an Municipal Party Committee, is suspected of “serious violations of discipline and laws” and is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervision investigation.
Before this, on November 6, several influential microbloggers in mainland China posted that Fang Hongwei had been absent from multiple activities, hinting at his downfall. On November 5, during a special meeting in Xi’an convened by Zhao Yide, the Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee, Fang Hongwei was absent; and on November 6, during the launch ceremony of activities by the Central Broadcasting and Television General Station in Xi’an, Fang Hongwei was also missing.
According to reports by sources in Xi’an cited by Hong Kong’s “Ming Pao” newspaper on November 6, Fang Hongwei was scheduled to conduct research on religious work in Xi’an on Wednesday (5th), but was intercepted midway by personnel from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CCP.
Overseas platforms have shared screenshots of posts claiming that on November 5, Fang Hongwei was researching in the Chang’an District when he was unexpectedly taken away by the CCP’s disciplinary committee. Witnesses reported that Fang Hongwei turned pale, his legs weakened, and he even wet his pants on the spot.
On November 5, overseas media personality Jiang Wangzheng (Yin Ke) disclosed that, after verifying multiple sources, Fang Hongwei was ambushed and taken away by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection while conducting research on religious work at Guanyin Temple in Chang’an District. His personal assistant, confidential secretary, security personnel, and duty secretary were all simultaneously controlled. His wife was also placed under the control of the Shaanxi Discipline Inspection Commission.
Following the Fourth Plenary Session of the Party’s Central Committee, 11 Central Alternate Committee members were added as Central Committee members. Among them were 7 officials who were previously skipped over for promotion, including Fang Hongwei, Secretary of the Xi’an Municipal Committee of the CCP, Wang Jiayi, Deputy Minister of Education of the CCP, and Shi Yugang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Group of the Political Consultative Conference of Yunnan Province, while the remaining officials were all from the military.
After the Fourth Plenary Session, Fang Hongwei continued his work as usual. On October 24, the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the CCP held a meeting, during which footage showing Fang Hongwei in attendance was broadcasted on Shaanxi TV; on October 31, Fang Hongwei conducted research on rural revitalization in Chang’an District, which was reported by local official media; and on November 3, the 2025 Qin Innovation Development Forum and Advanced Technology Innovation Conference opened in Xi’an, with Fang Hongwei participating in the opening ceremony.
Analyst Li Linyi previously mentioned to Epoch Times that being passed over for promotion as a Central Committee member indicates a lack of trust, and according to the rules of the CCP, these high-ranking officials should undergo internal scrutiny. Essentially, they are working under constant monitoring and could be taken down at any time.
Public records show that Fang Hongwei, born in June 1966, hails from Fuping, the hometown of Xi Jinping, and is also a Tsinghua University alum, having graduated with a degree in Automotive Engineering. He previously worked at Shaanxi Automobile Manufacturing Corporation for an extended period, serving as General Manager in 2002, Chairman of Shaanxi Automobile Group in 2008, concurrent Chairman of Shaanxi Automobile Holding Group Co., Ltd. in 2012, and holding positions such as Member of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee, Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Committee.
In 2015, Fang Hongwei was transferred to the position of Member of the Standing Committee and Deputy Mayor of Baoji City, and in 2016, he became Member of the Standing Committee and Executive Deputy Mayor of Weinan City. In 2017, he was appointed Mayor of Hanzhong City, and in July 2020, he became Secretary of the Hanzhong Municipal Party Committee. In May 2021, Fang Hongwei was named Member of the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee and Secretary General, and in November 2021, he was appointed Member of the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee and Secretary of the Xi’an Municipal Party Committee. Fang Hongwei is a member of the 20th Central Alternate Committee.
Previously, there were speculations about Fang Hongwei’s backing being Xi Jinping himself, given their shared hometown of Fuping and both being graduates of Tsinghua University.
Independent commentator Cai Shenzhen mentioned on X that in May 2021, the 55-year-old Fang Hongwei was promoted to Member of the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee and Secretary General of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee. Later in the same year, he assumed the position of Secretary of the Xi’an Municipal Party Committee. During this period, the Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee was Liu Guozhong (currently a Vice Premier), indicating that Fang Hongwei had served as Liu Guozhong’s right-hand man. However, Fang Hongwei’s advancement occurred during the tenure of Hu Heping as Deputy Secretary, Governor, and Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee.
Cai Shenzhen expressed that Hu Heping, nurtured by Chen Xi, is from Shandong and represents the Shandong faction, aided by Peng Liyuan and Chen Xi’s mutual support and recommendation. Upon arriving in Shaanxi as the President of Tsinghua University, Hu Heping discovered and cultivated Fang Hongwei, a graduate of Tsinghua University from Xi Jinping’s ancestral hometown. Fang Hongwei boasted openly about being from Fuping, indirectly implying his connection to Xi Jinping. More importantly, during his tenure, he boldly interfered in major projects for personal gain. When Hu Heping was moved, he recommended Fang Hongwei to Liu Guozhong, who appointed him as the Secretary General of the Provincial Committee, resolving his dilemma of being at a deputy provincial level. Subsequently, Fang Hongwei was promoted to Secretary of the Xi’an Municipal Party Committee.