Shanghai International Airport Corporation’s former director and general manager, Huang Zhenglin, is currently under investigation after leaving his position just a month ago, with a tenure of only 9 months.
On November 22, the “Clean Shanghai” WeChat public account reported that Huang Zhenglin is suspected of serious violations of discipline and laws, and is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervisory investigation by the Shanghai Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision.
A month ago, news of Huang Zhenglin’s disappearance had already surfaced. At that time, First Financial reported that Huang Zhenglin’s phone was turned off, and he could not be reached via WeChat. Several informed sources mentioned that he had not been seen for several days.
On October 24, Shanghai Airport issued a public announcement regarding the departure of the company’s director and general manager, stating that Huang Zhenglin resigned for personal reasons.
Huang Zhenglin had only been appointed as the general manager of Shanghai Airport on January 26 of this year, resigning on October 24, with a tenure of only 9 months.
Public records show that Huang Zhenglin had long served in human resources and administrative management positions at Shanghai Airport. He had previously held positions such as General Manager of the Human Resources Department of Shanghai Airport (Group) Co., Ltd., Secretary of the Party Committee of the institution, and General Manager of Pudong International Airport, Shanghai International Airport Corporation.
Established by Shanghai Airport (Group) Co., Ltd. in May 1997 as the sole initiator, Shanghai Airport was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in February 1998. The company’s controlling shareholder is Shanghai Airport Group, with the actual controller being the Shanghai State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.
Shanghai Airport Group is responsible for operating and managing the two major international airports in Shanghai, including ground services, infrastructure development, and aviation hub development at Pudong and Hongqiao airports.
Epoch Times previously reported that Shanghai Airport is an interest territory of Jiang Zemin, the former leader of the Chinese Communist Party, through his son Jiang Mianheng. Jiang Mianheng is a member of the board of directors of Shanghai Airport Group and controls Shanghai Lianhe Investment Co., Ltd., which has long been involved in the Shanghai Airport system.
At the same time, the Jiang family also participated in the bidding for the operation of duty-free shops at Shanghai Pudong International Airport through joint investments and cooperated with enterprises such as “Rise Sun Duty-Free Shop”.
Since the beginning of this year, Shanghai Airport has experienced continuous personnel turmoil. In January, Director and General Manager Zhang Yongdong retired. In March, then Deputy General Manager Jiang Xinsheng left his position. With Huang Zhenglin’s departure, the position of general manager is once again vacant.
In the case of Wu Jianrong, the former deputy secretary of the Party Committee and chairman of Shanghai Airport Group, who was accused of corruption and fell from grace in August 2018, he was identified as one of Jiang’s white gloves.
Analysis suggests that given the increasingly fierce infighting within the CCP, Huang Zhenglin’s downfall may indicate that Shanghai Airport will face an even greater cleansing storm in the near future.