On Friday (30th), former Chairman of Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group, Li Chuyuan, was officially announced to have been taken down from his position. A month ago, there were reports that he and members of his family were under investigation.
On the evening of August 30, the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission of the Communist Party of China in Guangdong Province announced that Li Chuyuan, the former Party Secretary and Chairman of Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (referred to as “Guang Yao Group”), is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, and is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervision investigation by the Guangdong Province Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission.
Over a month ago, Li Chuyuan resigned from the position of Chairman of Baiyunshan, a listed company under Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group.
On the evening of July 22, Baiyunshan announced that the company had received a written resignation report from Chairman Li Chuyuan on that day. Due to personal reasons, Li Chuyuan resigned from the position of Chairman of the ninth board of directors, executive director, and director of the board of directors and chairman of the Strategic Development and Investment Committee of the company. After resigning, Li Chuyuan no longer held any position in the company.
At that time, “Caijing” quoted sources as saying that Li Chuyuan had been taken away for investigation by relevant departments, and members of his family were also under investigation.
Public information shows that the 59-year-old Li Chuyuan had worked at Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group for 36 years, holding positions such as Vice General Manager of Baiyunshan Pharmaceuticals, Vice General Manager, General Manager, Director, and Vice Chairman of Guang Yao Group. He became the Chairman of Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group in 2013 and also served as Chairman of the listed company Baiyunshan the same year until his resignation.
Since 2013, Li Chuyuan has been in charge of Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group and Baiyunshan for 11 years.
Li Chuyuan’s last public appearance was on July 13. On that day, Li Chuyuan delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the “2024 International Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Diseases International Academic Conference.”
Li Chuyuan has made several controversial statements in the past.
For example, in April 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Li Chuyuan stated at the Boao Forum for Asia that “If you drink Banlangen from Baiyunshan, you don’t need to wear a mask,” sparking controversy.
In 2017, at Fortune’s Global Forum, Li Chuyuan claimed based on research results from the National 863 Program that drinking Wong Lo Kat could extend life by about 10%. Soon after, the official Weibo account of Wong Lo Kat released a statement saying that the conclusion on extending life was based on a sample of 576 rats.
Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group is a state-owned sole proprietorship company under the Guangzhou Municipal Government, controlling the listed company Baiyunshan and holding shares in Kangmei Pharmaceutical (600518). It has over 30 member companies, including the 190-year-old Wanglaoji, the 420-year-old Chenliji, as well as Jingxiutang, Pangaoshou, and Caizhilin, among 12 traditional Chinese brands.
Since the second half of 2023, the Communist Party of China has launched an anti-corruption storm in the medical field, leading to the downfall of many key figures in the Guangdong health system.
In November 2023, Zhu Hong, the Director of the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission at the time, voluntarily surrendered. In December 2023, Xu Qingfeng, the Director of the Guangdong Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, was investigated. In March 2024, Jiang Xiaodong, the former Director of the Guangdong Drug Administration, was investigated.
In January of this year, Tian Shougang, Director of the Drug Supervision and Administration Department of Guangdong Province, and Lin Huanbing, Deputy Chief of the Drug Review and Certification Center of the Drug Supervision and Administration Department of Guangdong Province, were investigated. In March, Su Shengfeng, former senior inspector of the Guangdong Provincial Drug Administration, was investigated.