The 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and former Director of the National Railway Administration, Fei Dongbin, has been officially placed under investigation and expelled from the party, accused of associating with political fraudsters and engaging in corrupt practices.
According to a report by the official Chinese state news agency Xinhua on December 5th, Fei Dongbin was involved in speculation, associating with political fraudsters, resisting investigation, arranging for others to provide long-term transportation services for his family members, failing to report personal matters as required, seeking benefits for others in cadre selection and appointment processes, accepting bribes, engaging in greed-driven activities, conducting power and money transactions on a large scale, illegally accepting huge sums of money, and more.
The report stated that Fei Dongbin was suspected of serious violations of duty and bribery crimes, leading to his expulsion from the Communist Party of China and dismissal from public office, with a referral for judicial prosecution.
At 55 years old, Fei Dongbin, originally from Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, has held positions in various railway bureaus in Shenyang, Beijing, Jinan, and other cities since October 2005. In May 2016, he became the Deputy Secretary of the Hohhot City Committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Deputy Secretary of the Ulanqab City Committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Acting Mayor, Mayor, and Secretary of the City Committee. In April 2021, he was appointed Deputy Governor of Henan Province, later becoming a member of the Henan Provincial Committee and Deputy Governor in October of the same year, then a member of the Communist Party Group of the Ministry of Transportation of the Communist Party of China and Secretary of the Party Group of the National Railway Administration in September 2022, finally serving as the Director of the Railway Administration in October 2022.
Fei Dongbin fell from grace on June 12, 2025.
The railway system under the Communist Party of China has been a hotspot for corruption. The Ministry of Railways was originally established. Liu Zhijun, who took power at the Ministry of Railways in 2003, fell from power in February 2011 and was sentenced to death with a reprieve in July 2013 for involvement in massive corruption, which was later commuted to life imprisonment in 2015. Liu Zhijun was a close ally of Jiang Zemin.
On March 10, 2013, the Chinese government established the National Railway Administration, managed by the Ministry of Transportation, to assume the other administrative responsibilities of the Ministry of Railways. It also formed China Railway Corporation to take on the enterprise responsibilities of the Ministry of Railways, effectively dismantling the Ministry of Railways.
The last Minister of Railways, and the first General Manager of China Railway Corporation, Sheng Guangzu, retired as Deputy Chairman of the National People’s Congress in 2018 and fell from power in March 2022.
It is worth noting that, like Fei Dongbin, many senior officials who have fallen from grace in recent years have been accused of “associating with political fraudsters.” Figures such as Liu Guoqiang, former Vice Chairman of the Liaoning Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference; Dou Yuming, former Party Secretary and Director of the Beijing Office of the Shandong Provincial Government; Liu Xinyun, former Vice Governor and Director of the Public Security Department of Shanxi Province; Meng Yongshan, former Chief Prosecutor of the Qinghai Provincial People’s Procuratorate; Han Yong, former Chairman of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference; Li Gang, former Head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and National Supervision Commission’s Discipline Inspection and Supervision Team stationed in the Central Organization Department; Lan Tianli, former Chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, have all been officially reported to have associated with political fraudsters for the sake of promotion and personal gain, engaging in speculative and manipulative activities.
This series of fallen officials underscores the pervasive nature of corruption and political rot within the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated departments, highlighting the ongoing struggle to root out malfeasance and uphold integrity within the political leadership of the country.