Former member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and former Deputy Director of the Economic Committee, Bi Jingquan, who fell from grace in May this year, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and stripped of his public office on December 8th. Bi Jingquan, who used to be a close aide to then Vice Premier Wang Qishan and Wang Yang, later oversaw national drug regulation and resigned in 2018 in the aftermath of the Changchun Changsheng vaccine scandal.
According to the report from the Xinhua News Agency, on December 8th, Bi Jingquan, former member of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC and former Deputy Director of the Economic Committee, was officially placed under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law,” leading to his expulsion from the Party, dismissal from his position, and transfer to judicial authorities.
The announcement stated that Bi Jingquan was implicated in obstructing investigations, unlawfully accepting gifts, improperly using private company vehicles, attending banquets and engaging in activities such as travel and golf arrangements that could potentially influence the fair execution of official duties, failing to report personal matters as required, abusing his position for personal gain and accepting bribes, allowing others to pay expenses he should have covered personally, illicitly seeking benefits for relatives, maintaining corrupt family practices, and exhibiting lack of proper oversight and discipline over his spouse and children, as well as engaging in extensive bribery and embezzlement.
On May 29th this year, Bi Jingquan was officially placed under investigation, removed from his positions in the National Committee of the CPPCC and the Economic Committee in June, and had his CPPCC membership revoked. Previously, he had served as the Director of the State Food and Drug Administration, resigning from the position seven years ago following the Changchun Changsheng vaccine scandal.
Public records indicate that Bi Jingquan, born in September 1955 in Qing’an County, Heilongjiang Province, started his career at the National Development and Reform Commission of China, holding various positions such as Director of the Economic and Trade Department, Secretary-General, and Deputy Director.
Bi Jingquan had served as a key aide to Wang Qishan and Wang Yang. He became the Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council in April 2008, assisting the-then Vice Premier of the State Council, Wang Qishan. After Premier Li Keqiang took office in March 2013, Bi Jingquan continued to assist Vice Premier Wang Yang. On April 24, 2015, the Chinese Communist Party officially announced Bi Jingquan’s resignation as Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council, appointing him as the Director of the National Medical Products Administration; in March 2018, he became the Deputy Director of the State Administration for Market Regulation.
Changchun Changsheng company was found to have engaged in falsifying records regarding the production of “Freeze-dried Human Rabies Vaccines” on July 15, 2018; six days later, it was discovered that the company had used expired chicken eggs to manufacture vaccines. At that time, Bi Jingquan was the Deputy Director of the State Administration for Market Regulation who led the investigation team under the State Council.
In August 2018, Bi Jingquan resigned in connection to the faulty vaccine case, becoming the first Central Committee member to be dealt with since the 19th National Congress of the CPC.
In August 2020, Bi Jingquan returned to his position as the Deputy Director of the Economic Committee of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC, and in March 2023, he became a member of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC and Deputy Director of the Economic Committee, until he was investigated in May this year.
Commenting on Bi Jingquan’s return to public office after his resignation in 2018 and subsequent downfall this year, political commentator Li Lin told The Epoch Times that the situations of Bi Jingquan and former Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Committee Jiang Chaoliang, who was dismissed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak but later returned to political duties and was investigated again in October this year, are similar and reflect power struggles among high-ranking officials. Within the Chinese Communist political arena, corruption is rife, and anti-corruption campaigns often serve as manifestations of power struggles.
Hu Xingdou, a professor at Beijing University of Technology, previously told Deutsche Welle that the return of officials to their positions is inevitable within the current system because “officials’ hats are controlled by the higher-ups. If the superiors want them to return, they will, no matter how grave their mistakes are. The public has no say. The problem lies here. Officials and their superiors often collude, form partnerships, or constitute a power network. Superiors usually do everything in their power to protect their subordinates because if they don’t protect them, the problems arising from the subordinates will implicate the superiors and lead to a broader scandal.”
Hu Xingdou pointed out that in developed countries, if an official flouts the law or has ethical issues, they would likely never be able to re-enter the political scene.