On October 7th, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced the expulsion and judicial transfer of Tang Yijun, the Chairman of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Tang had previously served as the Minister of Justice in the CCP and failed to be elected as a member of the Central Committee at the CCP’s 20th National Congress in 2022.
The CCP Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission website disclosed that Tang Yijun, former Party Secretary and Chairman of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the CPPCC, was expelled from the party and dismissed from public office. His delegate qualification for the 20th National Congress was terminated, and he is suspected of committing crimes which have been transferred to the judicial authorities for prosecution.
According to the announcement, Tang Yijun resisted organizational review; regularly accepted banquets and travel arrangements, in violation of regulations, received gifts, money, and consumption cards improperly that should have been personal expenses; sought personal gain and accepted bribes in cadre selection and appointment processes; used his authority to help relatives contract financial business; improperly intervened in market and judicial activities; had a corrupt family style, and neglected his spouse’s management and education; treated public power as a tool for personal gain, engaged in corrupt practices, and illegally accepted substantial bribes.
On April 2nd, the CCP announced the investigation of Tang Yijun and on April 4th, Caixin reported that he was taken away on the afternoon of March 28. That afternoon, during an internal meeting at the Jiangxi Provincial CPPCC, he was informed that there was a phone call for him. After leaving the meeting, he was directly taken to Beijing by personnel from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
It was reported that insiders from the Ministry of Justice stated that during Tang Yijun’s tenure as Minister of Justice, coinciding with the epidemic, he had almost “no presence,” “did not understand the law, and did not do much.” The contrast was drawn that while Fu Zhenghua was making a mess, Tang Yijun was inactive.
On April 29th, Tang’s membership as a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference was revoked, and on May 29th, his membership in the 13th Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the CPPCC was terminated.
At the age of 63, Tang Yijun has long been considered a member of the “Zhijiang New Army”.
Tang Yijun worked in Zhejiang for 40 years and held positions such as member of the Zhejiang Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary of the Ningbo Municipal Committee, and Secretary of the Disciplinary Commission. When Xi Jinping ruled Zhejiang, they did not have direct interactions. In February 2011, Tang Yijun became the Chairman of the Ningbo Municipal CPPCC, was promoted to vice-ministerial level position, and shifted to a secondary position.
In 2016, four years after Xi Jinping took office, Tang Yijun started to be reutilized and held positions such as Acting Mayor of Ningbo, member of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee, Secretary of the Ningbo Municipal Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the CCP, and alternate member of the 19th Central Committee of the CCP.
After October 2017, Tang Yijun was transferred to become the Deputy Secretary of the Liaoning Provincial Committee of the CCP and the Governor of Liaoning, being promoted to the ministerial level. In April 2020, Tang Yijun became the Party Secretary and Minister of the CCP’s Ministry of Justice, as well as a member of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission.
However, in the CCP’s 20th National Congress in 2022, Tang Yijun was not elected as a member of the Central Committee. In January 2023, he was demoted to Party Secretary and Chairman of the Jiangxi Provincial CPPCC. At that time, public opinion indicated that Tang Yijun’s transition from a cabinet member to a local CPPCC chairman was quite rare.
Tang Yijun became another former Minister of Justice who fell from grace following Wu Aiying and Fu Zhenghua.