In the past week, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China has intensively reported on the investigation of three central government officials, which has attracted widespread attention. The three officials are Zhao Jinyun, Vice Governor of Gansu Province, Zhang Xiaolian, former Minister of the Organization Department of Heilongjiang Province, and Liu Mancang, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Henan Provincial People's Congress and former Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. In addition, Gao Peng, former Vice Mayor of Beijing, was "double-opened", further highlighting the strong promotion of the Communist Party of China's anti-corruption struggle.

Gansu Vice Governor Zhao Jinyun Suspected of Serious Duty Violations

On October 25, 2023, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission of the Communist Party of China issued an announcement stating that Gansu Vice Governor Zhao Jinyun was suspected of serious duty violations and is currently under investigation. Zhao Jinyun was born in 1965 in Minqin, Gansu Province. He served in important leadership positions in many companies in Gansu Province until he was appointed Vice Governor of Gansu Province in December 2022.

Zhao Jinyun is the 50th central government official to be investigated in 2023. Her fall shows that the corruption problem at the top level in Gansu Province is still serious. In fact, before her, Yang Zixing, former vice governor of Gansu Province, was investigated in June this year, showing that there are serious corruption problems within the Gansu Provincial Government.

Yang Zixing has a far-reaching influence in Gansu Province's political arena. He served as mayor of Dingxi City, secretary of the municipal party committee, and executive deputy director of the Gansu Provincial Party Committee Organization Department until his retirement in 2018. Wei Zhirong, former deputy director of Gansu Province, who worked with Yang Zixing, was also expelled from the party in June, showing that there is a phenomenon of corruption among many senior officials in Gansu Province.

Zhang Xiaolian, former deputy director of the Economic Committee of the CPPCC, was investigated

On October 21, Zhang Xiaolian, former head of the Organization Department of Heilongjiang Province, was also announced by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection to be under investigation. He has held many important positions in Heilongjiang Province, and finally transferred to the deputy director of the Economic Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in 2018. During his political career in Heilongjiang Province, Zhang Xiaolian has served as secretary of the Mudanjiang Municipal Party Committee and mayor of Harbin, and is considered an important figure in Heilongjiang Province.

Zhang Xiaolian's fall is the 49th central-level cadre reported by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection this year, which once again shows the strength of the anti-corruption campaign. It is worth noting that he once served as the Minister of the Organization Department of Heilongjiang Province. This position exposed him to a large number of cadre appointments and promotion opportunities, so his corruption is very likely to involve extensive collusion of interests.

Liu Mancang, deputy director of the Henan Provincial People's Congress, was investigated

The top leaders of the political and legal system in Henan Province were not spared. On October 17, Liu Mancang, former deputy secretary of the Party Group and deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Henan Provincial People's Congress, was announced to be under investigation. Liu Mancang is the 48th central-level cadre to be investigated this year, and his fall marks another shock to the political and legal system in Henan.

Liu Mancang's political career covers many important positions in Henan Province, including mayor and secretary of the Municipal Party Committee of Shangqiu City, and member of the Standing Committee of the Henan Provincial Party Committee and secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. He was transferred to the deputy director of the Henan Provincial People's Congress in 2016. It is worth mentioning that many senior officials in the political and legal system of Henan Province have been investigated before, the most representative of which is Gan Rongkun. Gan Rongkun took over as secretary of the Henan Provincial Political and Legal Committee in 2019, but was dismissed in 2021 and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment.

During Liu Mancang's tenure in Shangqiu City, many high-ranking political figures have been investigated, including Zeng Zhaobao, secretary of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, Zhang Shixun, deputy secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, and Liu Huisheng, assistant to the mayor. The fall of these people shows that Liu Mancang may also have been seriously corrupt during his tenure in Shangqiu.

Former Beijing Vice Mayor Gao Peng was "double-opened"

In addition to the fall of the above-mentioned provincial-level senior officials, Gao Peng, former vice mayor of Beijing, was announced to be "double-opened" (expelled from the party and public office) on October 22. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection reported that Gao Peng was involved in multiple violations of discipline and law, including forging academic qualifications, illegal stock trading, power-for-sex transactions and power-for-money transactions. He used his position to seek benefits for others and illegally accepted huge amounts of property.

Gao Peng was born in 1972 and is from Fengcheng, Liaoning. His career was mainly in Beijing. He served as deputy district chief and district chief of Fengtai District and Shunyi District in Beijing. He was later promoted to district party secretary and served as deputy mayor of Beijing in early 2023. It is noteworthy that Gao Peng also served as the head of the Tiananmen Security Management Committee. On March 10 this year, a man drove his car into the main gate of Zhongnanhai in Beijing. The incident triggered widespread discussion on the safety of Tiananmen Square. The outside world speculated whether Gao Peng's fall was related to this incident.

The anti-corruption campaign of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection continues to increase

The fall of this series of high-level officials shows the unremitting efforts of the CPC's discipline inspection and supervision organs in the fight against corruption. In 2023, dozens of central-level cadres have been investigated and punished, many of whom have long held important positions in local governments and important departments. Their fall not only exposes problems in the local political ecology, but also highlights the CPC Central Committee's firm determination to rectify the officialdom and fight corruption.

Anti-corruption is not only a punishment for corrupt behavior, but also an important measure for the CPC to consolidate its regime and improve its ability to govern. As more cadres fall, the fight against corruption will continue to deepen and further change the way Chinese politics operates.