On May 22, Sun Zhigang, former Deputy Director of the National People’s Congress Financial and Economic Committee and former Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee, was indicted.
The Chinese Communist Party’s Supreme Procuratorate announced that the investigation into Sun Zhigang’s alleged bribery case had concluded, leading to his recent indictment.
Sun Zhigang stands accused of exploiting his positions as a member of the Hubei Provincial Standing Committee and Secretary-General, member of the Anhui Provincial Standing Committee and Deputy Governor, member of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, Deputy Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee and Governor, Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Guizhou Provincial People’s Congress Standing Committee, and Deputy Director of the 13th National People’s Congress Financial and Economic Committee. He allegedly used these positions to seek personal gain for others, illegally accepting a significant amount of bribes.
On August 28 last year, Sun Zhigang was officially taken down from his position, becoming the second high-ranking official investigated that year and the first former provincial-level “first-in-command” to fall after the 20th National Congress of the CCP.
In February this year, Sun Zhigang was expelled from the Party and arrested. He was accused of “violating two principles of political integrity,” engaging in unauthorized activities during official inspections, illegally occupying multiple residences, accepting gifts and money improperly, obtaining significant returns through private loans, providing assistance to his son’s business activities, meddling in and intervening in judicial activities, and engaging in large-scale extortion of money.
The 70-year-old Sun Zhigang had held high-ranking positions in Hubei, Anhui, and Guizhou. Following his downfall, reports surfaced in the Hong Kong media alleging that Sun’s wife’s uncle had been involved in projects in Anshun, Guizhou, where he allegedly acted as a protector for local mining tycoons. Investigation into Sun’s family members began in April 2023, and after nearly four months, Sun Zhigang himself was removed from office.
Political commentator Yue Shan previously wrote in Epoch Times that when Sun Zhigang served as Deputy Director of the Economic Commission in Wuhan, the Mayor at the time was Wu Guanzheng, who later became a member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. It was rumored that Wu initially valued Sun Zhigang, and when Yu Zhengsheng was parachuted in as Hubei’s Party Secretary in 2001, Wu recommended Sun. Sun, who was then the Party Secretary of Yichang City, was promoted to a Provincial Standing Committee member the following year, and was transferred to work as Yu Zhengsheng’s Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, acting as the “chief steward” for four years. As a result, Sun was considered to be aligned with Yu Zhengsheng.
Yue Shan believes that Sun Zhigang’s downfall may involve high-level power struggles. Hong Kong media revealed that Sun Zhigang may have crossed Chen Min’er in Guizhou. Chen Min’er was a former colleague of Xi Jinping, the current CCP leader, in Zhejiang. The current Guizhou Party Secretary, Xu Lin, was a former colleague of Xi in Shanghai, both considered part of Xi’s camp. Yue Shan stated that now that Xi’s camp controls the officialdom, Sun Zhigang’s allies Wu Guanzheng and Yu Zhengsheng have fallen out of favor. Taking down Sun Zhigang could also be seen as a warning to Wu Guanzheng and Yu Zhengsheng.
Furthermore, several officials who had worked alongside Sun Zhigang have also been investigated. In February 2021, Wang Fuyu, former Chairman of the Guizhou Provincial Political Consultative Conference, was investigated; on November 27, 2022, Zhou Jiankun, Vice Chairman of the Guizhou Provincial Political Consultative Conference, was investigated; and on March 27, 2023, Li Zaiyong, Vice Chairman of the Guizhou Provincial Political Consultative Conference, was also investigated.