In the latest development in the anti-corruption campaign in China, the Party Secretary and Deputy Director of the Hunan Provincial People’s Congress Standing Committee, Wu Lan, was officially placed under investigation by the authorities on October 9th. This move marks another high-ranking official with deep ties to the Inner Mongolia political circles to fall from power following Wang Lixia. In recent years, there has been a string of corruption cases in the Inner Mongolia political arena, leading to the downfall of several senior officials at the provincial and ministerial levels.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China and the National Supervisory Commission announced on October 9th that Wu Lan, the Party Secretary and Deputy Director of the Hunan Provincial People’s Congress Standing Committee, is suspected of serious violations of discipline and laws. Currently, she is undergoing disciplinary review and supervision investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission.
According to official records, Wu Lan, an ethnic Mongolian, was born in November 1962 in Kezuozhong Banner, Inner Mongolia, and holds a graduate degree from the Central Party School. She started working in December 1978 and joined the Communist Party in November 1984. Public information shows that on September 27th of this year, Wu Lan attended a relevant meeting, only to be announced under investigation just over ten days later.
Wu Lan has had a long career in Inner Mongolia, with swift promotions in her positions. In 1996, at the age of 34, she became the Secretary of the Communist Youth League of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. After 2000, she successively served as the Deputy Secretary of the Ejin Horo Banner Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Ordos Municipal Committee, and in March 2003, she was appointed as the Deputy Secretary and Deputy Governor of the Bayan Nur League.
In November 2003, at the age of 41, Wu Lan was promoted to Vice Chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Government. By November 2006, she became a member of the Autonomous Region Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Autonomous Region Government, then in the following month, the member of the Autonomous Region Party Committee and Minister of Propaganda Department. She worked in Inner Mongolia for 39 years, leaving a mark on various important positions.
In October 2016, Wu Lan took on her first inter-provincial position as the Deputy Secretary of the Hunan Provincial Committee. In November 2021, she was transferred to be the Deputy Secretary of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and in January 2022, she was elected as the Vice Chairman of the Hunan Provincial CPPCC. In January 2023, she was appointed as the Party Secretary and Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Hunan Provincial People’s Congress, a position she held until the current investigation.
In recent years, the political landscape in Inner Mongolia has been tumultuous, with many former high-ranking officials who worked in the region falling from grace. On August 22, 2025, Wang Lixia, the Deputy Secretary of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Party Committee and Chairman of the Autonomous Region Government, was announced to be under investigation. On February 16, 2025, Wang Zhonghe, former Vice Chairman of the Inner Mongolia CPPCC, was also placed under investigation. In April 2024, Du Zi, former Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Inner Mongolia People’s Congress, was also implicated.
Additionally, former Deputy Director of the Inner Mongolia People’s Congress Wang Bo fell from power after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Prior to that, former Vice Chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Yun Guangzhong and Bai Xiangqun were successively investigated.
As a major energy province, corruption cases in the local energy system in Inner Mongolia have been on the rise, often involving links to local high-ranking officials.