On June 9, 2012, the Tiananmen Gate in Beijing was visible at sunset following a rain shower. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
[People News] On October 18, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) announced on its website that Huang Ribao, the former vice chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Political Consultative Conference, is under investigation by the National Supervisory Commission for serious violations of duty.
On October 13, Huang Qifan, the former deputy secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Committee and former mayor, was announced to be under disciplinary review and investigation by the CCDI and the National Supervisory Commission for serious violations of discipline and law. On October 14, Bao Hui, the former party group secretary and director of the Chengdu Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee in Sichuan Province, was expelled from the party and referred to judicial authorities for serious violations of discipline and law.
On October 17, the CCDI and National Supervisory Commission published 'Weekly Discipline News,' which clearly stated: 'In the past week, two former central management officials were announced to be under review or expelled from the party,' referring to Huang Qifan and Bao Hui. The report emphasised that 'regardless of position, contribution, or retirement status, anyone involved in corruption has no way out and no so-called safe landing.'
The fall of Huang Ribao has intensified the anti-corruption campaign, making this week arguably the busiest in the history of the CCDI.
On October 16, Qiushi published a speech by Xi Jinping reiterating the call for strict party governance, rigorous investigation of double-dealers, and warning that some within the party are ready to 'jump ship' at any time. This highlights Xi's deep concerns about power and political loyalty ahead of the Fifth Plenary Session. Under the current power dynamics in Zhongnanhai, the number of provincial and ministerial officials facing consequences may far exceed the three mentioned above, and it is possible that even higher-ranking officials are about to be implicated.
Three Tigers Dealt With in a Week: Huang Qifan, Bao Hui, Huang Ribao
Huang Qifan's downfall marks the peak of the anti-corruption campaign ahead of the Fifth Plenary Session. At 74 years old, Huang has long been viewed as a 'tumbler' in the political landscape. He has served in Chongqing since 2001 and held the roles of mayor and deputy secretary of the municipal party committee from 2010, working alongside Bo Xilai and Sun Zhengcai, both of whom were later dismissed. Following the Bo Xilai scandal, the political environment in Chongqing changed dramatically, yet Huang remained resilient until his retirement at the end of 2016. Nearly a decade after stepping down, he continues to participate actively in various forums as a financial expert. On October 13, it was officially announced that he was under investigation, using his former title, leading to speculation that the issues primarily relate to his time in Chongqing. The Chongqing Municipal Party Committee promptly held a meeting to address the need to eliminate toxic influences and manage 'Pao Ge' culture and clique culture. There are rumours suggesting that Huang Qifan was investigated due to his son Huang Ranfei's involvement in a corruption case involving high-ranking officials. Some analysts interpret his sudden downfall as a warning from Xi Jinping to retired political elders to keep quiet ahead of the 21st National Congress.
Bao Huizheng, born in 1963, has held various positions, including secretary of the Dazhou Municipal Committee of Sichuan Province and deputy director of the Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee. In 2022, he became the secretary and director of the Chengdu Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee, with plans to step down in January 2025. He was placed under investigation in January 2026 and was officially expelled from the party on October 14. The report outlined several issues: violating the Party Central Committee's directives on preventing and mitigating major financial risks, making unlawful decisions that led to significant financial risks, and allowing relatives to misuse their positions for personal gain, among others. His conduct has been classified as serious violations of multiple disciplinary regulations, and he failed to show restraint following the 18th National Congress.
Huang Ribao is the third high-ranking official, referred to as a 'tiger', to be investigated this week. Born in July 1958, he is an ethnic Zhuang from Jingxi, Guangxi, and is an independent figure without party affiliation. He earned a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Reading in the UK and has served as a professor. Early in his career, he held positions at Guangxi University and the Guangxi Academy of Sciences. In 2008, he was appointed Vice Chairman of the Guangxi Political Consultative Conference, and in 2013, he became Vice Chairman of the Autonomous Region Government. In 2018, he resumed his role as Vice Chairman of the Political Consultative Conference while also taking on the position of Chairman of the Science and Technology Association, from which he later resigned. On October 18, he was announced to be under investigation for serious violations of duty. His downfall, as an independent figure and technocrat, further illustrates that the Chinese Communist Party's anti-corruption campaign is extending beyond party members and the traditional cadre system.
It is important to note that Chongqing, Sichuan, and Guangxi have emerged as key areas for the CCP's anti-corruption efforts in recent years. The recent investigations of three high-ranking officials, along with the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection's assertion that 'there is no escape or so-called safe landing for those involved in corruption', send a powerful political message: no one is safe, whether within or outside the party, and the higher the official, the greater the risk.
Xi Jinping's comments regarding 'two-faced individuals' reflect concerns about loyalty.
On the eve of the Fifth Plenary Session, the journal "Qiushi" republished Xi Jinping's speech from January 2026 at the Fifth Plenary Session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which carries significant implications. In his speech, Xi called for vigilance against "two-faced individuals" who harbour dual intentions and display inconsistent words and actions. He outlined six specific behaviours: professing loyalty to politics and the "two safeguards" while secretly undermining them; promoting liberalism in thought; engaging in opportunism in politics, shifting positions based on circumstances, and being ready to "jump ship" at any moment; fostering sectarianism within organisations; adhering to parochialism in work; and practising humanitarianism in fulfilling responsibilities. He stressed that during the leadership transition, "two-faced individuals" must not be allowed to evade accountability, and that the anti-corruption campaign "must not pause for a moment or retreat by half a step"; no matter how high their position or how significant their contributions, those involved in corruption will not be tolerated.
According to overseas commentator Cai Shenkun, the Qiushi article featuring this speech was delivered by Xi Jinping at a meeting of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on January 24 of this year, just before the arrests of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli. At that time, Zhang Youxia was present, and Xi Jinping had already arranged for Zhang Youxia's arrest during his speech. In the following days, both Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were dismissed from their positions.
Currently, the speech has been prominently reissued by the party's theoretical publications, and the timing is sensitive, coinciding with local leadership transitions and the initiation of personnel arrangements for the 21st National Congress. Throughout the speech, Xi Jinping places an exceptionally strong emphasis on political loyalty, insisting on absolute loyalty and the decisive removal of two-faced individuals. This reflects his deep-seated distrust in the reliability of his current power structure, resulting in significant political anxiety. However, the speech fails to clarify what constitutes loyalty, where the standards for loyalty are, or what quantifiable criteria exist. It only enumerates negative qualitative aspects, lacking positive quantification, which creates greater confusion within the party. The determination of officials' loyalty rests solely with Xi Jinping, meaning it is dictated by his subjective will. In a highly centralised power structure, the information gap created by sycophantic officials surrounding him, along with Xi Jinping's tendencies toward grandiosity and power narcissism, exacerbates feelings of insecurity, which can directly lead to a frenzied political purge.
Is Politburo member Li Hongzhong suspended?
On October 18, the X platform account 'Office Secretary (Red Notice, International Cooperation)' posted: 'The Discipline Inspection Commission is having tea, waiting for the official announcement! Politburo member and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress, Li Hongzhong.' The post noted: 'From March to October 2026, he has been questioned multiple times by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. His aide during his tenure in Hubei Province, Secretary Zhao Lingyun, was reported by the Hubei Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision on October 16, 2026, for suspected serious violations of discipline and law.'
The veracity of the news can be confirmed by external sources. Li Hongzhong is currently a member of the Central Political Bureau and serves as the first vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. He has held positions in Guangdong, Hubei, and Tianjin in his early career and was once associated with the Jiang faction. However, following the 18th National Congress, he actively demonstrated his loyalty to Xi Jinping, coining the sycophantic phrase 'Loyalty is not absolute; it is absolutely disloyal,' which has become a source of irony and mockery within the Chinese Communist Party's political landscape.
In recent years, several of Li Hongzhong's former subordinates, whom he promoted during his time in Tianjin, have faced investigations: around March 2026, Zhou Derui, a member of the Tianjin Municipal Committee and Minister of the Organisation Department, was investigated; in April, Jin Xiangjun, the former deputy secretary of the Tianjin Municipal Committee and later the governor of Shanxi Province, was also investigated, along with Sun Jianhua, the former deputy secretary-general of the Tianjin Municipal Committee, on the same day. These actions, referred to as 'cutting the hem,' have led to intense speculation regarding Li Hongzhong's own circumstances. Public records show that Li Hongzhong was still engaged in public activities as of September 2026, but the possibility of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection detaining him at any moment cannot be dismissed.
If Li Hongzhong is indeed arrested, there are three potential reasons for this. First, his reputation as a political opportunist has struck a chord with Xi Jinping's current focus on 'political two-facedness.' In his early career, Li was closely associated with the Jiang faction, but after the fall of Bo Xilai and Zhou Yongkang, he shifted his allegiance to Xi Jinping, opportunistically pledging loyalty. Xi's recent emphasis on purging those 'always ready to jump ship' could easily categorise him as politically disloyal. Second, there is the risk of being implicated in cases involving his former subordinates. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) often tightens its grip by addressing surrounding cases, gradually closing in on the individual. Third, there is a selection logic driven by loyalty anxiety. Xi Jinping is highly sensitive to the discrepancies between expressed loyalty and actual loyalty. An official who was promoted for overtly pledging loyalty, once identified as having historical burdens or current unreliability, can be purged at a relatively low cost, serving as a warning to other opportunists who pledge loyalty.
Should Li Hongzhong face serious issues, he would become the fourth high-ranking official to fall among the members of the 20th Politburo, following He Weidong, Zhang Youxia, and Ma Xingrui. Being a member of the Politburo is indeed a high-risk position. The chilling effect of 'loyalty is not absolute, then it is absolutely disloyal' ultimately backfires on its originator, which is quite ironic. The personnel arrangements for the 21st National Congress are likely to bring about even greater upheaval.
The tension within the CCP's political landscape is fundamentally a result of the extreme concentration of power and the erosion of political trust. The anxiety over power in Zhongnanhai resembles a shackle around the necks of all officials; the more they struggle, the tighter it becomes. The only way to escape is indeed to break out and jump ship, fleeing from the sinking vessel of the CCP.
(First published by People News) △
News magazine bootstrap themes!
I like this themes, fast loading and look profesional
Thank you Carlos!
You're welcome!
Please support me with give positive rating!
Yes Sure!