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News: Former Jilin Chief Prosecutor Yang Keqin (杨克勤) is under investigation today for violations of party discipline and law. Notably, there have been multiple ousters before Yang in the province’s prosecution system: former Jilin Deputy Chief Prosecutor Wu Changzhi (吴长智) was ousted in November 2018, and former Jilin Deputy Chief Prosecutor Xie Maotian (谢茂田) was ousted in April 2019. Both Wu and Xie worked closely with Yang during their tenures. Quick Take: Yang became the first provincial top prosecutor to be taken down while on tenure. Yang started off his career in Anhui Political and Legal Affairs Commission in 1980, briefly served for one year as a secretary in the General Office of Anhui Public Security Department, and was transferred back to provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission in1989. In 1994 he officially departed to Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission. After almost two decades, he was posted to Jilin as top prosecutor. Notably, the majority of Yang’s career was based in the political and legal affairs system, and it’s likely that his ouster has something to do with his long experience in the system. If so, more disruptions should be expected soon.

On 21 June 2019, former Minister of Commerce (2006-2013) Chen Deming (陈德铭) was appointed President of Tsinghua University Taiwan Institute. Chen is the fourth (vice-) ministerial-ranking official who got an appointment from Tsinghua University within the past 12 months. On 30 May 2019, former Vice Minister of Culture (2008-2013) Zhao Shaohua (赵少华) was appointed Professor of Practice at Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management. On 24 April 2019, former State Council Vice Secretary-General (2011-2018) Jiang Xiaojuan (江小涓) was appointed tenured Professor. Earlier in November 2018, Jiang was already appointed Dean of Tsinghua University School of Public Policy and Management. Before Jiang, former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (2010-2013) Amb. Fu Ying (傅莹) was appointed Adjunct Professor and Honorary President of Tsinghua University Institute of International Relations in October 2018. Renowned for its science and engineering disciplines, Tsinghua University in recent years has invested significantly in social science and humanity disciplines—the hiring of these retired senior government officials is just one example of such effort. Tsinghua University also hosts the World Peace Forum, which is due to convene in early July, and was the first non-governmental high-level security dialogue in China. President Xi Jinping attended the first World Peace Forum in 2012, when he was Vice President of China.

News: Former Yunnan SASAC Chairman Luo Zhaobin (罗昭斌) was appointed Yunnan People’s Government Vice Secretary-General with a full-departmental ranking today. Quick Take: Before Yunnan, Luo had worked respectively in the former State Bureau of Building Materials Industry, an organization abrogated in 2001; and the then Board of Supervisors of Large Key State-owned Enterprises, an organization merged into SASAC in 2003 and then into National Audit Office in 2018. In 2014 he served a two-year temporary position as the Yunnan provincial government Vice Secretary-General with a full-departmental ranking, and became Yunnan SASAC Chairman in 2016, but only to return to the previous post three years later today. Luo’s appointment is likely related to the notorious default of Yunnan State-owned Capital Operation in 2018, which happened during his term as Yunnan SASAC Chairman. The default has resulted in a series of disruptions, including the ousters of both Yunnan Capital Chairman Liu Gang (刘岗) in November 2018 and its Deputy General Manager Wang Qing (王庆) in January this year.

News: Former Nanjing CPPCC Chairman Shen Jian (沈健) committed suicide recently. Quick Take: A Nanjing local, Shen’s entire political career since 1975 was based in his hometown. Notably, he was deputy chief of staff and chief of staff to then-Nanjing Mayor and Nanjing Party Secretary Luo Zhijun (罗志军), who later became Jiangsu Party Secretary, for 11 years. Luo was Nanjing Mayor from 2001 to 2003, and Nanjing Party Secretary from 2003 to 2007; Shen was Nanjing Government Secretary-General from 2001 to 2004, and Nanjing CCP Committee Secretary-General from 2004 to 2008, when he was appointed Nanjing Executive Vice Mayor. He was further appointed Nanjing CPPCC Chairman in January 2013, and retired five years later. Before Shen, there had been multiple disruptions in Nanjing since the 18th Party Congress— former Nanjing Mayor Ji Jianye (季建业) was ousted in October 2013, former Nanjing Party Secretary Yang Weize (杨卫泽) was brought down in January 2015, while former Jiangsu Vice Governor Miao Ruilin (缪瑞林), who also did a short stint as Nanjing Mayor, was brought down in November 2018. Shen’s career overlapped with all three.

News: Anhui Vice Governor Yang Guangrong (杨光荣) is concurrently appointed Fuyang Party Secretary today, replacing Li Ping (李平), who is now removed from the post. Quick Take: It’s rare for a vice-provincial level official to be posted concurrently as a prefecture’s Party Secretary, which only comes at full-departmental level. More importantly, Yang’s predecessor Li Ping was not given other appointment notice upon his removal from the post, indicating that he is likely undergoing some inspections. Fuyang is deeply trapped in poverty—as the most populated city in the province with approximately 8093 thousand residents, its per capital income only came at CNY 21.7 thousand in 2018, placed at the bottom of the province. Moreover, the city is also reported with notable formalism and bureaucratism issues in its poverty alleviation battle, the top two redlines of CCP’s anti-graft campaign. Under these circumstances, Yang’s appointment is very likely aimed at aiding Fuyang’s economy and accelerating its poverty alleviation process—Yang has previously worked over a decade in Changsha Finance Bureau and was widely praised for boosting Changsha’s economy during his term as Changsha County Party Secretary.

News: Former Inner Mongolia CCPSC member and Hohhot Party Secretary Yun Guangzhong (云光中) is under investigation due to serious violation of party discipline and law. Quick Take: An Inner Mongolia local, Yun has never left the region his entire career, and had previously served in multiple prefectural cities since 1984, including Wuhai, Hulunbuir, Ordos, and eventually Hohhot, the capital of the region. He was appointed Inner Mongolia Vice Chairman in January 2014, and became the region’s CCPSC member and Hohhot Party Secretary three years later. Yun had a three-year career overlap with Bai Xiangqun (白向群), the region’s recently ousted tiger in May 2018; moreover, Yun’s ex-colleague Su Jianrong (苏建荣), who he shared office with for six years during his term in Ordos, was just brought down a week ago for serious violation of party discipline and law. Notably, there have been a series of ousters since 2018 in the region, most of which are locally cultivated officials, just like the abovementioned three. Disruptions are likely to go on as CCP’s continuous effort to crack down its local gangs.

News: Former Hangzhou Mayor Xu Liyi (徐立毅) was appointed today as Henan CCPSC member and Zhengzhou Party Secretary. Quick Take: It is very clear that officials from Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu are recently favored by the top leadership for their experience in economy, industry and hi-tech—A number of high-profile transfers were made recently from China’s eastern, coastal, economically better-off provinces to inland, developing provinces, including the earlier appointment of Shanghai CCPSC member and Executive Vice Mayor Zhou Bo (周波) to Liaoning Vice Party Secretary position. Xu’s appointment from Hangzhou to Zhengzhou is the latest of such trend—these officials are usually promoted in ranking from their old posts to their new ones—for instance, Zhou’s appointment from Shanghai CCPSC to Liaoning as Vice Party Secretary seems to be on the same ranking, but Vice Party Secretary being the no.3 of the province is indeed more important than CCPSC member. Similarly, Hangzhou Mayor is a vice-provincial job but being within CCPSC is different to Xu—these are rewards for officials working in a much more challenging environment.

News: Former Beijing Cultural Investment Development Group Co. (BCID) General Manager Dai Zigeng (戴自更) is currently under investigation. Quick Take: Before joining BCID, Dai had previously worked his entire career in the local party mouthpieces. He started his career in Guang Ming Daily, a CCP-run national newspaper in 1988 to 2006. Since 2003, Dai also took the editor-in-chief position of The Beijing News, one of the first non-party-run newspapers published in multiple regions. Dai was in charge of The Beijing News until August 2017, when he became BCID’s Vice Chairman and Deputy Manager. Dai’s ouster is very likely related to Wu Xiaohui (吴小晖), former Anbang Group Chairman brought down in June 2017 due to corruption and political wrongdoings—The Beijing News under Dai’s leadership worked hard to clear Wu’s name months before Wu’s arrest. Rumor also suggests that a fund was set up by Anbang under The Beijing News, of which Dai served as a legal person.