Former President of Shanghai Dongfang.com, Xu Shiping, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for bribery and embezzlement of public funds. He was accused of taking bribes totaling over 26.08 million Chinese Yuan and embezzling 140 million Yuan.
On March 13, the Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court publicly sentenced Xu Shiping, former president and editor-in-chief of Shanghai Dongfang.com Limited, to 13 years in prison for bribery, with a fine of 3 million Yuan, and 10 years for embezzlement, totaling 18 years in prison with a 3 million Yuan fine.
The court stated that from 2009 to 2020, Xu Shiping took advantage of his positions as Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Committee’s Office for External Publicity and President of Dongfang.com Limited to assist Wang Yang and others in business cooperation, equity acquisition, financing, and received a total of over 26.08 million Yuan in bribes.
From September 2015 to October 2016, Xu Shiping, using his position as President of Dongfang.com Limited, embezzled a total of 140 million Yuan in public funds, for personal gain, along with Wang Yang. As of the investigation, over 11 million Yuan of the principal amount remains unrecovered.
Xu Shiping was arrested in November 2022, expelled from the Party and public office in June 2023, and handed over to judicial authorities.
Public records show that Xu Shiping was born in Shanghai in November 1959.
According to reports in November 2022, Xu Shiping was involved in the establishment of Dongfang.com in 2000, serving as Vice Chairman and Editor-in-Chief before moving to various positions in the Shanghai government and returning as President and Editor-in-Chief of Dongfang.com in April 2012.
Dongfang.com was founded on May 28, 2000, designated as a major local news website by the State Council of China. In March 2012, it underwent corporate restructuring and was held by the Shanghai State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission with a registered capital of 997 million Yuan. In December 2015, it was officially listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ).
On May 29, 2020, Shanghai Newspaper Group and Dongfang.com underwent a joint reorganization, transferring 43.63% of Dongfang.com’s shares held by the Shanghai State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission to the Shanghai Newspaper Group without compensation. Xu Shiping retired in July 2020 at the age of 60.
It is worth noting that the establishment of Dongfang.com coincided with Jiang Zemin’s rise to power, during the rapid expansion of the “Shanghai clique” led by Jiang and Zeng Qinghong in the officialdom.
Since Xi Jinping took office, the power of the Shanghai clique has been gradually eliminated. On October 25, 2018, former Shanghai Chief Prosecutor Chen Xu was sentenced to life imprisonment, and former Mayor Yang Xiong resigned in January 2017. Yang Xiong was considered a close associate of Jiang Zemin’s son, Jiang Mianheng.
Xu Shiping had a close relationship with Yang Xiong. By the end of 2018, Xu Shiping, who was a prominent figure, praised Yang Xiong in his posts.
On April 12, 2021, Yang Xiong passed away suddenly. Xu Shiping recalled their relationship, mentioning that on May 28, 2000, during the launch of Dongfang.com, Yang Xiong, then Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Municipal Government, accompanied the city leaders to attend the ceremony, overseeing the work of the city’s Information Commission at the time.