Beijing Deputy Mayor Gao Peng was recently investigated barely a year after taking office. Analysts believe that Gao’s downfall is related to the incident where a black sedan broke into Zhongnanhai during the two sessions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Beijing Municipal Committee of the CCP stated on the second day of Gao’s investigation that they firmly support the CCP Central Committee’s decision to investigate Gao, showing a clear stance. Political analysts suggest that this implies the nature of Gao’s case is political rather than related to corruption.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CCP and the National Supervisory Commission announced on their website late on April 21 that Beijing Deputy Mayor Gao Peng is under investigation. Gao is the first vice-ministerial level official in Beijing to fall from grace since the 20th National Congress of the CCP and is the youngest deputy mayor in the leadership of the Beijing municipal government.
Public information shows that Gao Peng was born in July 1972 in Fengcheng, Liaoning Province. He holds a doctorate in economics and is a senior economist. He has worked in Beijing for a long time, having worked in state-owned enterprises before joining the government. He previously served as Deputy Director of the Financing and Planning Department of the Beijing Metro Group Co., Deputy General Manager of the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Co., and was later transferred to serve as Deputy District Head of Fengtai District. In January 2014, he became Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission.
In December 2015, Gao Peng was transferred to Shunyi District as Deputy Secretary of the District Committee, Deputy District Head, and Acting District Head. From that point on, he served in Shunyi for seven years.
In January 2023, Gao Peng was appointed Deputy Mayor of Beijing, continuing to concurrently serve as Secretary of the Shunyi District Committee. In March 2023, he stepped down as Secretary of the Shunyi District Committee to focus on his role as Deputy Mayor until his recent investigation.
Gao Peng was last seen in public on April 17, attending the national forest and grassland fire prevention and control grassroots standardization management work conference held in Beijing. His personal information has since been removed from the Beijing municipal government’s official website.
According to the division of labor among the Beijing municipal government leadership announced on the government’s website in March of last year, Gao Peng was responsible for urban management, transportation, agriculture and rural areas, and assisted in emergency management. He was in charge of the Beijing Municipal Urban Management Commission, Beijing Municipal Transportation Commission, Beijing Municipal Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, Beijing Municipal Government Tian’anmen District Management Committee, Beijing Municipal Key Station Area Management Committee, and Beijing Municipal Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, and assisted in managing the Beijing Municipal Emergency Management Bureau.
It is worth noting that in March of this year, during the two sessions of the CCP, an incident where a black sedan broke into the main gate of Zhongnanhai sparked discussion on social media. Analysts believe that Gao Peng’s downfall may be related to this incident.
On March 10th, a video circulated widely on social media platform X. According to the video, a black sedan rushed towards the Xinhua Gate of Zhongnanhai in Beijing, and the driver was quickly surrounded and subdued by security personnel, then dragged away. From the video, it is clear that the vehicle was very close to the front gate of Xinhua Gate. Xinhua Gate is the main gate of Zhongnanhai and a symbol of the CCP’s highest executive power. The two sessions are important conferences highly valued by the CCP, and during these meetings, Beijing’s security measures become extremely strict, with even dissidents being required by authorities to travel to another location until the meeting concludes before being allowed to return. Hence, the video immediately sparked widespread attention among netizens.
Recently, political analyst Chen Pokong, residing in the United States, stated in his self-media program that the incident of the sedan crashing into Zhongnanhai is a significant political event. He believes that due to Gao Peng’s assistance in managing the Tian’anmen District Committee, he may have become a scapegoat in subsequent accountability.
Chen Pokong also suggests that it cannot be ruled out that Gao Peng was involved in the incident of the black sedan crashing into Zhongnanhai, as after his arrest on April 21, CCP Beijing Municipal Committee Secretary Yin Li chaired a meeting of the Beijing Municipal Standing Committee the next day, briefing on the CCP Central Committee’s instructions regarding Gao Peng’s case. He stated that Yin Li’s speech is profound, strongly implying that Gao Peng’s case is political rather than related to corruption. Therefore, Gao Peng may have played an insider role or provided some form of assistance in this incident.
On the day following Gao Peng’s investigation, April 22, the Beijing Municipal Standing Committee held a meeting to report on the relevant details of Gao Peng’s investigation.
Beijing Municipal Committee Secretary Yin Li stated at the meeting that the Beijing Municipal Committee firmly supports the CCP Central Committee’s decision on handling Gao Peng’s case and demands that officials at all levels in Beijing maintain a high degree of ideological and political alignment with the CCP Central Committee core led by Xi Jinping.
Former professor at Capital Normal University, Li Yuanhua, believes that Gao Peng’s case may not necessarily be a political case. On April 24, Li Yuanhua, in an interview with Epoch Times, stated that CCP officials often enjoy causing trouble for others, with the goal of advancing their own careers. There exists a phenomenon in the CCP system called “guandai relationship”, where when an official is in trouble, their promoters fear being implicated, and those associated with the official act like startled birds. To avoid being affected, they quickly distance themselves from the individual, which is a peculiar phenomenon in the CCP’s autocratic regime.
National Chair of the China Democratic Party, Wang Juntao, believes that based on the steadfast stance emphasized by the Beijing Municipal Standing Committee, it can be inferred that this case is likely a political one, possibly directly overseen by Xi Jinping. Therefore, Yin Li needs to show loyalty to Xi Jinping.
Wang Juntao told Epoch Times that when the CCP deals with official cases, they typically fall into two categories: if the official notification places “illegal” first, it usually refers to investigating corruption issues such as bribery, conduct, etc.; if “disciplinary violation” is placed first, it usually refers to investigating political issues. The official CCP announcement refers to Gao Peng as “suspected of serious violations of discipline and law”, indicating that this is a political case.
Wang Juntao said that for an official like Gao Peng, who was only promoted to the position of deputy mayor a year ago, there are several possible reasons for the investigation. Firstly, it could be that the person who promoted Gao Peng has run into trouble, and is implicated in a major case, constituting a political breach, thus Gao Peng is also investigated due to being implicated; secondly, it could be that Gao Peng himself has made some remarks that offended Xi Jinping; and the third possibility is that Gao Peng was being “slack” because in recent speeches, Xi Jinping has been emphasizing that officials cannot be “slacking”, so this investigation could be aimed at Gao Peng.
Wang Juntao also mentioned that if Gao Peng were just an ordinary deputy mayor, the CCP authorities would not need to make such a big move. However, the current aggressive actions indicate that the case involving Gao Peng may be very significant, requiring the Beijing Municipal Committee Secretary to show loyalty to Xi Jinping in a clearly defined manner. From this, it can be inferred that this case may have been personally directed by Xi Jinping, hence Yin Li’s immediate statement.
(The reporter Ning Xin made contributions to this article)