Retired former Deputy Minister of the Chinese Communist Party’s Ministry of Water Resources, Tian Xuebin, has been investigated, becoming the “first tiger” of 2026.
On January 5, 2026, the Chinese Communist Party officially reported that Tian Xuebin, former party member and deputy minister of the Ministry of Water Resources, is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and is currently under investigation. He is the first senior official at the central level to be investigated in the new year of 2026.
Public resumes show that Tian Xuebin’s career spans key central agencies and important ministries. Born in 1963 in Gansu’s Huining, he quickly rose through the ranks after starting work in 1983. In his early years, he served as a secretary in the General Office of the Central Committee of the CCP and the State Council Office; later he was promoted to Deputy Director of the State Council Research Office and party member, focusing on policy research and decision-making consultations. In July 2015, he was transferred to the position of deputy minister of the Ministry of Water Resources and party member. He served in this critical department for 8 years until he retired in January 2024 due to reaching retirement age, during which time he was deeply involved in water infrastructure and water resource management projects.
Tian Xuebin once served as the secretary to former Premier of the State Council of China, Wen Jiabao. Duo Fangru, former chairman of the Political Consultative Conference of Fucheng County, Hebei Province, mentioned in an article that Tian Xuebin accompanied Wen Jiabao on inspections as the premier’s secretary.
Huining County in Gansu Province is a nationally renowned poverty-stricken county that is severely lacking in water resources.
Previously, several corrupt individuals within the Chinese Communist Party’s water management system have been investigated for corruption.