On the eve of the 20th Plenary Session of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), several provincial-level and deputy national-level officials have fallen from grace, with numerous provincial-level officials in various regions undergoing intensive reshuffling. Just on Friday, June 28, five provincial-level officials, known as the “leaders” of their respective provinces, were reassigned, along with multiple deputy provincial-level officials experiencing frequent adjustments.
Amidst the preparations for the 20th Plenary Session of the CCP, which was originally scheduled to take place last autumn but was confirmed by the CCP Politburo on Thursday, June 27 to be held next month, a wave of large-scale personnel adjustments started sweeping across the political landscape.
According to the official news from Xinhua News Agency on June 28, Huang Qiang has been appointed as the Party Secretary of Jilin Province, replacing Jing Junhai, who is no longer serving as the Secretary of the Jilin Provincial Party Committee. Further details about Jing Junhai’s new role were not disclosed.
Prior to his appointment, Huang Qiang held positions such as Vice Governor of Gansu Province, Executive Vice Governor of Henan Province, and Governor of Sichuan Province. Jing Junhai, who is mentioned as having been appointed to a new position, has previously served as Deputy Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and Party Secretary of Jilin Province. Both Jing Junhai and Huang Qiang are members of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP.
Furthermore, authorities have also announced Liang Yanshun’s appointment as the Party Secretary of Anhui Province, while Han Jun is no longer serving in that role. Additionally, Li Yifei has been appointed as the Party Secretary of Ningxia.
Liang Yanshun previously held positions such as Minister of the Propaganda Department of Gansu Province, Deputy Minister of the CPC Central Committee’s Propaganda Department, Executive Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Central and State Organs, and Party Secretary of Ningxia. Han Jun previously served as Deputy Director of the Office of the Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, Deputy Minister of the Party Group of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Governor of Jilin Province, and Party Secretary of Anhui Province. Both Han Jun and Liang Yanshun are members of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP.
Li Yifei has served as Secretary-General of the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the CCP, Minister of the Organization Department of Guizhou Province, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Xinjiang, Party Secretary and Political Commissar of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and Chairman of China New Building Group Co., Ltd.
According to official reports, Han Jun, who was removed from his position as Party Secretary of Anhui Province, has been appointed as the Party Secretary of the Party Group of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Moreover, Tang Renjian, former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, was investigated by authorities in May this year for “serious violations of discipline and law.” He is a member of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP.
On June 28, authorities also announced that Lei Haichao will succeed Ma Xiaowei as the Director of the National Health Commission of the CCP. Lei Haichao previously served as Director of the Beijing Municipal Health Commission and Deputy Director of the National Health Commission.
Ma Xiaowei has held positions such as Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Health of China and Vice-Chairman of the Red Cross Society of China. He is also a member of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP. Ma Xiaowei was relieved of his position as Director of the National Health Commission in May this year and subsequently transitioned to serve as a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a “second-tier” position in the Chinese political hierarchy.
In June, there have been frequent adjustments among deputy-level officials in various regions.
Among these changes, Shi Xiaolin, Deputy Secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee, has been appointed as the Party Secretary of the Party Group of the Sichuan Provincial Government. Wang Lujin has been appointed as Deputy Secretary of the Hebei Provincial Party Committee, having previously served as the head of the disciplinary inspection and supervision team of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection stationed at the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission.
Mao Zhonghua has been appointed as Vice President of the Supreme People’s Court, a member of the Trial Committee, and a judge. Mao Zhonghua previously served as Deputy Director of the High People’s Court of Jiangsu Province and Chief Prosecutor of the Guangxi Prosecutor’s Office.
In addition, Zhang Ying, Director of the Employment Promotion Department of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the CCP, has been appointed as Deputy Governor of Jiangxi Province, while Wang Zhengying and Hu Dapeng have been appointed as Deputy Governors of Yunnan Province. Wang Zhengying previously served as Director of the Yunnan Development and Reform Commission, and Hu Dapeng previously served as Director of the General Office of the Ministry of Public Security of the CCP.
At the same time, Yue Xiuhu has been relieved of his position as Deputy Governor of Yunnan Province and Director of the Provincial Public Security Bureau, and has been transferred to serve as a member of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Public Security of the CCP and Commissioner for Counter-Terrorism (deputy ministerial level). In addition, Yi Huiman, a member of the Central Committee of the CCP and former Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, has been appointed to a new role within the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Since June, several senior and deputy-level CCP officials have been removed from their positions, including Wu Yingjie, former Party Secretary of Tibet, Li Shisong, Executive Vice Governor of Yunnan Province, Zhang Jianchun, Deputy Minister of the CPC Central Committee’s Propaganda Department, Hong Laihe, Deputy Governor of Jiangxi Province, Yang Zixing, Deputy Governor of Gansu Province, and Wang Bo, Vice Chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Notably, there have been developments regarding two former Chinese Defense Ministers, Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, following their disappearance for nearly a year.
On June 27, Chinese authorities reported that Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe had been expelled from the CCP and transferred to military procuratorial organs for prosecution. Prior to this, the Central Military Commission of the CCP had stripped them of their military ranks as generals.
According to official announcements, since the 20th National Congress of the CCP, there have been three deputy national-level officials, including Li Shangfu, Wei Fenghe, and Qin Gang, who have been subjected to disciplinary actions or dismissals, while at least 59 deputy-level officials are currently undergoing similar processes.
Wu Se, a researcher at the Cross-Strait Policy Association and a consultant member of Taiwan think tanks, expressed to the Epoch Times on June 27 that the CCP’s focus on strengthening party leadership at the upcoming Plenum indicates Xi Jinping’s concerns about economic development not being able to maintain a dominant position and affecting his grip on power. He hopes that the Plenum will help suppress dissenting opinions internally. Handling the cases of the two former Defense Ministers at this juncture is seen as a way to send a warning to others within the Party hierarchy.