Rumors Surface That Former CCP Politburo Standing Committee Member Jia Qinglin Is Under Investigation

(People News) - Recently, independent commentator Cai Shenkun claimed on his social media platform that he has received multiple reports from within China alleging that the entire family of Jia Qinglin, a member of the 16th and 17th CCP Politburo Standing Committees and former Chairman and Party Secretary of the 10th and 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), is under investigation. Cai asserted, "The information is reliable." Initially, Cai did not pay much attention to this information, but the frequency of the reports caught his interest. However, as he has not yet been able to verify the information from other sources, he remains cautious about its authenticity.

Cai Shenkun is known for leaking insider information about high-ranking CCP officials ahead of official announcements, claiming to have reliable "connections" and channels. Many of his past disclosures have been confirmed, such as the suicide of Yu Jianhua, Director of the General Administration of Customs, which he reported hours before the CCP's official announcement, and the downfall of General Miao Hua from the PLA's Central Military Commission, which he also revealed in advance.

However, regarding Jia Qinglin's alleged investigation, Cai mentioned that he is still seeking confirmation. He noted that Jia's family has close ties with Xi Jinping, as Jia was once the top official in Fujian Province and is considered a mentor to Xi. Xi reportedly views Jia as a key figure in his political rise. During Xi’s tenure in Fujian, his promotions from deputy division-level to division-level, and later to deputy ministerial-level as a member of the Fujian Provincial Standing Committee, were closely linked to Jia's influence. Xi has publicly acknowledged Jia, alongside Wang Zhaoguo, as instrumental in his political career. Given the Jia family's immense wealth, Cai suggests that Xi would not easily target him.

Cai further analyzed that, generally, retired senior officials in Zhongnanhai, no matter how corrupt, are rarely targeted by Xi if they had previously supported his rise. Over a decade of anti-corruption campaigns has shown that the focus has been on rival factions, particularly those politically unreliable, disloyal, or posing a threat to Xi’s authority, such as Zhou Yongkang, Guo Boxiong, Xu Caihou, and Ling Jihua. Even Hu Jintao was publicly humiliated during the 20th Party Congress, as Xi’s faction holds animosity towards the Communist Youth League faction. Conversely, the families of Zeng Qinghong and Jiang Zemin have remained untouched, and Xi has largely turned a blind eye to the wealth accumulated by the "second red generation" and his supporters.

However, Cai suggested two possible scenarios in which Xi might act against Jia Qinglin: either Xi becomes ungrateful and succumbs to pressure from party elders and current political rivals, or Jia Qinglin has made inappropriate comments about the central leadership or colluded with anti-Xi factions, thereby threatening Xi’s grip on power.

According to publicly available information, in 1985, at the age of 45, Jia Qinglin was promoted from his role as the head of Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Plant to Deputy Secretary of the CCP Fujian Provincial Committee. He subsequently held positions as head of the Provincial Organization Department, president of the Party School, secretary of the Provincial Direct Organs Working Committee, acting governor, governor, and eventually party secretary of Fujian. In 1996, he became the Mayor of Beijing and a year later, the Party Secretary of Beijing. In November 2002, at 62, he ascended to the CCP Politburo Standing Committee and, in March 2003, became Chairman of the CPPCC, a position he held until his retirement in March 2013.

During his eleven years in Fujian, Jia overlapped with Xi Jinping's tenure in the province. Jia played a key role in Xi’s rapid rise from deputy mayor to a full-time deputy party secretary of the province, which later led to Xi becoming an alternate member of the 15th Central Committee. Thus, the sudden rumors of Jia being under investigation have fueled speculation about an unusually turbulent political climate within Zhongnanhai, indicating instability in CCP politics regardless of the rumor's truth.

Rumors of Jia Qinglin's involvement in corruption have circulated for years, including claims that he was once imprisoned.

The earliest allegations linked Jia to Lai Changxing’s Yuanhua smuggling case. After the scandal broke, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported that Lai claimed Jia had accepted gifts from him during his tenure as Fujian’s top official. However, then-CCP leader Jiang Zemin publicly expressed support for Jia during an inspection in Beijing, while Jia's wife, Lin Youfang, denied any involvement in the smuggling case during an interview with Phoenix TV, claiming not to know Lai and refuting rumors of divorce from Jia. Media outlets, however, suggested Lin was lying, pointing out that Lai's Yuanhua Group engaged heavily in import-export activities, making it unlikely they had no dealings with Fujian’s foreign trade authorities, especially since Lin was the Party Secretary of the Fujian Foreign Trade Bureau at the time. Lai later expressed frustration at Lin's denial, stating, "How could she not know me? I once guaranteed a business deal for her and a partner named Zhuang, including a piece of land in Xiamen. Lin was very grateful to me then."

In 2002, after Jia Qinglin became a Politburo Standing Committee member, the BBC noted in his profile that his wife was implicated in corruption rumors, but Jia was protected by Jiang Zemin. Analysts have suggested Jia acted as a proxy for Jiang’s interests.

In April 2014, Apple Daily in Hong Kong reported that a former Bloomberg editor, who had been forced to resign, claimed Jia Qinglin was far from clean and that his family held shares in Wang Jianlin's Wanda Group.

There are also multiple reports suggesting that Jia’s family had numerous “white gloves” (proxies), including prominent real estate magnate and Century Golden Resources Group owner Huang Rulun.

During the 2013 National People's Congress, Jia Qinglin, who was about to step down as CPPCC Chairman, appeared dispirited amid Xi's growing anti-corruption campaign. Wikipedia cites The Australian Daily, reporting that at the closing ceremony of the 2013 National People's Congress, Jia slumped in his seat, eyes closed, snoring, a stark contrast to his previous demeanor on the podium. Wu Bangguo, seated to his left, nudged him awake twice, urging him to freshen up with a wet towel. On his right, the newly elected CPPCC Chairman Yu Zhengsheng unscrewed Jia's cup lid, signaling him to drink tea to stay alert.

Liberty Times in Taiwan and Voice of America both cited reports claiming that on July 10, 2014, Jia Qinglin was taken into custody by the PLA’s 38th Group Army and detained in a prison in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. However, Jia's appearance at the CCP’s 65th-anniversary celebrations on October 1 that year was seen as an attempt to dispel such rumors.