Following the downfall of former Provincial Party Secretary Sun Zhigang, dozens of officials in the Guizhou officialdom have been swept away. Analysts believe that behind this purge lies power struggles within the upper echelons of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), with the focus now turning to Chen Min’er, who previously held key positions in Guizhou.
On May 22, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of the CCP announced the conclusion of the investigation into the alleged bribery case involving former Guizhou Provincial Party Secretary Sun Zhigang, who is set to be prosecuted in Tianjin in the coming days. Sun is accused of using his position for personal gain, illegally accepting a vast amount of bribes.
Sun was officially removed from office on August 28 last year, becoming the first provincial-level “top leader” to fall from grace following the 19th National Congress of the CCP. In February this year, he was expelled from the Party and arrested.
According to official reports, Sun Zhigang lost his faith, engaged in hypocrisy, favored cronies, violated rules to occupy multiple homes, accepted gifts and money unlawfully, obtained substantial returns through private loans, assisted his son’s business activities, interfered in judicial affairs, obstructed investigations, among other offenses.
At the age of 70, Sun Zhigang held high-ranking positions in Hubei, Anhui, and Guizhou. He worked in Hubei for over 20 years, in Anhui for 4 years, and served as Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Governor, and Party Secretary of Guizhou from 2015 to 2020, followed by a brief stint in Beijing as the Deputy Chair of the National People’s Congress Financial and Economic Committee.
Analysts suggest that the issues involving Sun Zhigang likely occurred during his tenure in Guizhou. The day after his downfall last year, the Guizhou provincial Party committee immediately convened a meeting, expressing firm support for the central authorities’ decision to investigate Sun; however, no statements have been issued by other places Sun previously served.
In response to the Sun Zhigang case, Guizhou Province established a specialized team called the “Case-Driven Reform” leadership group, led by the current Party Secretary, Xu Lin. On May 20 this year, Xu Lin emphasized the ongoing purification of Guizhou’s political environment, aiming to eradicate the “Sun Zhigang toxin” completely.
Following Sun Zhigang’s downfall, a significant cleansing of the Guizhou officialdom unprecedented in its scale took place. As per preliminary calculations by reporters from Dajiyuan, nearly 40 officials at the bureau level and above are currently under investigation, including Chen Yan, Deputy Chair of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and Zhang Ping, Deputy Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission.
As reported by the CCP’s Discipline Inspection Commission, in May this year alone, at least 6 officials in Guizhou, such as Xu An, former President of Guizhou Bank Co., Zhou Wen, Party Secretary of the Guizhou Department of Natural Resources, Liang Xianquan, Deputy Chair of the Guizhou City People’s Political Consultative Conference, Jin Long, Director of the Health and Family Planning Supervision Bureau of the Health Commission of Guizhou Province, Pan Hai, Deputy Director of the Guizhou Provincial Department of Transportation, and Tang Xiangqian, Party Secretary of the Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, have been investigated.
Additionally, Li Zaiyong, former Party member and Deputy Chair of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, was tried on May 23 for bribery and abuse of power.
Punishing high-ranking officials in Zhongnanhai is usually done under the guise of anti-corruption, but often there are deeper reasons behind these actions.
Commenting on the dense succession of fallen officials in Guizhou, U.S.-based commentator Li Yanming previously told Dajiyuan that behind the curtain of various officials falling from grace in Guizhou is an internal power struggle within the CCP. The officials under investigation have ties to national-level officials who previously governed Guizhou, with Chen Min’er being at the forefront.
At the age of 64, Chen Min’er is representative of the “Zhijiang New Army,” a powerful faction within the CCP led by Xi Jinping. Chen had served in Zhejiang for over thirty years, holding key positions during Xi Jinping’s tenure as Party Secretary of the province from 2002 to 2007. Chen was a member of the Provincial Standing Committee and the Minister of the Propaganda Department. During this period, the “Zhejiang New Language” column, where various comments were published under pen names, was prominently featured on the front page of the Zhejiang Daily—an initiative overseen by Chen Min’er.
After Xi came to power in 2012, Chen Min’er rose swiftly through the ranks. He was successively promoted to Deputy Secretary, Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee, and then to Party Secretary of Chongqing. In 2017, at the 19th National Congress of the CCP, he became a member of the Central Political Bureau and was promoted to a deputy national-level official. At that time, Chen Min’er was considered a rising political star within the Party and even seen by some as a potential successor to Xi Jinping.
Before the 19th National Congress, Chen Min’er was among the top contenders for a seat on the CCP’s Political Bureau Standing Committee. However, the final list of members revealed a surprise, with the Youth League faction being entirely excluded, and Chen Min’er left out as well.
Two months after the 19th National Congress, Chen Min’er was transferred from Chongqing to Tianjin as the Party Secretary. While this move appeared to be a lateral transfer, it was widely believed to be a demotion.
Li Yanming believes that Chen Min’er’s career obstruction may stem from a complex mix of three political factors: resistance from anti-Xi forces, internal rivalry within Xi’s camp, and suspicion and pressure from Xi Jinping himself, who aims to maintain long-term rule.
However, the saga does not end here. Chen Min’er’s former subordinates have also fallen from grace, with Sun Zhigang being one of them. During Chen Min’er’s tenure as Party Secretary of Guizhou from 2015 to 2017, Sun Zhigang served as Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor, making him Chen Min’er’s partner.
In the months before Sun Zhigang’s downfall, in March 2023, Li Zaiyong, the former chief secretary during Chen Min’er’s time as Party Secretary of Guizhou and later Deputy Chair of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, was also removed from office. The state media rare referred to Li Zaiyong as having “all six vices.” In January this year, CCTV aired a propaganda video featuring Li Zaiyong openly confessing his crimes.
In another anti-corruption video broadcasted in January, Liu Wenxin, former Deputy Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee, was portrayed as a “severe political problem” and shown tearfully repenting. While serving as Deputy Mayor of Guiyang, Liu Wenxin was under Chen Min’er’s supervision.
In a post on a social media platform last year, independent commentator Cai Shunkun commented on Chen Min’er, expressing that in an era where successors are not deemed necessary, those who aspire to be successors within the CCP are unlikely to have a good ending. Historical examples like Liu Shaoqi, Lin Biao, and Wang Hongwen, all potential successors during Mao Zedong’s era, met tragic fates!
Cai Shunkun also indicated that with Xi Jinping effectively paving the way for his indefinite term through constitutional amendments, the notion of successors will likely fade. Once a designated successor emerges, Xi Jinping’s position and power will inevitably be at risk.