The Chinese Communist Party’s Discipline Inspection Commission website reported that in just one week from August 18 to August 24, a total of 27 individuals were investigated and 12 were disciplined. This included two high-ranking officials, Wang Lixia, the Vice Secretary of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Party Committee and Chairwoman of the Autonomous Region Government, as well as Gao Xingfu, the Deputy Secretary of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Congress. Wang Lixia is the 7th senior-ranked “tiger” to fall this year.
On August 22nd, Wang Lixia, the Vice Secretary of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Party Committee and Chairwoman of the Autonomous Region Government, was investigated and removed from office for suspected serious violations of discipline and law.
An ex-official from Inner Mongolia, Du Wen, revealed on X platform on August 22nd that Wang Lixia’s husband and son had been arrested beforehand, followed by her brother, nephew, sister, and other relatives. The core of the “Xia Party” in Inner Mongolia was wiped out in an instant, with expectations of more officials falling from grace in the near future.
Wang Lixia, born in Jianping, Liaoning in June 1964, graduated with a Master’s degree from Shaanxi Institute of Finance and Economics in July 1988. She worked as a lecturer at Xi’an Statistics College after graduation. In July 2000, she entered the political arena as the Deputy Director and Party Group Member of Shaanxi Bureau of Statistics. In December 2005, she was promoted to Director of Shaanxi Bureau of Statistics, then served as Deputy Secretary and Mayor of Tongchuan City.
In January 2013, Wang Lixia became the Deputy Governor of Shaanxi Province. In October 2016, she was transferred to Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as a member of the Party Committee and concurrently served as the Minister of the Party Committee of the Autonomous Region United Front Work Department in November of the same year. In August 2019, she became the Secretary of Hohhot Municipal Party Committee. In July 2021, she was appointed as the Vice Secretary of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Party Committee and in September she became the Chairwoman of the Autonomous Region Government, until her recent investigation.
Just days before her fall, on August 16, she was still in the public eye. Local media reported that a flash flood occurred in Bayannur Urad Rear Banner, causing people to go missing. Wang Lixia rushed to the scene to command search and rescue efforts.
According to reports from CCP official media, a total of 39 senior officials have been investigated this year, including 7 senior-ranking officials. Wang Lixia is the 7th senior-ranking official to be investigated this year. The previous 6 officials who fell from grace were: Qizhala, member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Deputy Director of the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee; Jiang Chaoliang, member of the 14th NPC Standing Committee and Deputy Director of the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee; Jin Xiangjun, Deputy Secretary of the Shanxi Provincial Party Committee and Governor of the Province; Lan Tianli, Deputy Secretary of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Party Committee and Chairperson of the Autonomous Region Government; Bi Jingquan, member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Deputy Director of the Economic Committee; Liu Hui, Deputy Director of the Education, Science, Health and Sports Committee…
On August 18th, Gao Xingfu, the Deputy Secretary of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Congress, was investigated and removed from office.
Public records show that Gao Xingfu, a native of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, born in August 1963, has been working in Zhejiang after graduating from graduate school and has been long engaged in work for a construction company.
Gao Xingfu served as Director and General Manager of Zhejiang Construction Investment Group Co., Ltd., Deputy Chairman, General Manager, and Party Committee Member of Zhejiang Construction Investment Group Co., Ltd., Chairman and Party Secretary of Zhejiang Construction Investment Group Co., Ltd. In January 2015, Gao Xingfu was appointed Chairman and Party Secretary of Zhejiang Provincial Traffic Investment Group Co., Ltd. In 2016, he became the Deputy Governor of Zhejiang Province, then in January 2023, Gao Xingfu assumed the role of Deputy Secretary of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Congress.
Chinese media reported that Gao Xingfu attended a symposium on July 24, which turned out to be his last public appearance. Gao Xingfu is the 38th ‘tiger’ to fall this year.
On August 20, Diand Hai, the Deputy Secretary of the Dali State Party Committee and Secretary of the Dali City Party Committee, was investigated. Zidian Hai, a Yi native born in August 1980, worked for a long time in Lincang City. In December 2017, he was appointed Deputy Governor of Dali State Government, and in 2021, he became a member of the Dali State Party Committee and Secretary of the Dali City Party Committee, until his investigation.
Before Zidian Hai, four officials who held the position of Secretary of the Dali City Party Committee have fallen. In June of this year, Yang Zhidong, former member of the Political Committee and Deputy Director of Yunnan Dali Haidong Development and Management Committee, was investigated. He previously served as Secretary of the Dali City Party Committee from 2003 to 2004.
Yang Jian succeeded Yang Zhidong, who served as Secretary of the Dali City Party Committee from 2004 to 2006. In November 2024, Yang Jian was investigated when he was Deputy Committee member of the Environment and Resource Protection Committee of the Yunnan Provincial People’s Congress.
Succeeding Yang Jian was Duan Jie, who served as Secretary of the Dali City Party Committee from 2006 to 2011. In June 2024, Duan Jie voluntarily surrendered when he served as a first-level inspector of the Dali State People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Gao Zhihong served as Secretary of the Dali City Party Committee from 2018 to 2020. Gao Zhihong was investigated in June 2022 when he was a level two researcher in the Dali State People’s Congress.
Last week, two deputy mayors were also investigated. On August 19, Hu Xiaohai, member of the Nanchang Municipal Party Committee and Executive Deputy Mayor, took the initiative to surrender. On August 22, Huang Xianchang, member of the Hechi Municipal Party Committee and Deputy Mayor, was investigated.
In addition, on August 21, Huang Xuezhi, former Deputy Mayor of Zigong, Sichuan Province, was subjected to “double-open” investigation. Huang Xuezhi was under investigation since February 5 this year.
According to the Discipline Inspection Commission website, the 27 individuals investigated last week included: Wang Lixia, Vice Secretary of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Party Committee and Chairwoman of the Autonomous Region Government; Gao Xingfu, Deputy Secretary of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Congress; Jia Yu, Party Group Member of the Sha Pingba District Political Consultative Conference in Chongqing; He Qiongmei, Party Secretary and Director of the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Department of Hainan Province; Chen Yongjiu, former Director of the Development and Reform Commission of Hebei Province; Huang Xianchang, member of the Hechi Municipal Committee and Deputy Mayor…
Furthermore, China Merchants Bank’s Anhui Branch former Deputy Chairman Liang Yanguo, former Party Secretary and President of Haikou Maritime Court in Hainan Province Peng Xiaomin, former chief expert of the People’s Bank of China Agricultural Bank of China and former Party Secretary and President of Shenzhen Branch, X…