Four senior officials removed, placed under investigation

Four former senior officials were expelled from the Communist Party of China and removed from their public posts, according to statements issued by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and National Supervisory Commission on Thursday.

The four were Jiao Xiaoping, former deputy commander of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps; Yi Pengfei, former vice chairman of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; Hao Hongjun, chairman of the CPPCC Dalian Municipal Committee; and Ji Binchang, chairman of the CPPCC Qingdao Municipal Committee.

All four have been placed under investigation.

Jiao violated the new development concept and interfered with the policy of peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality. He ignored the central government's requirements for ecological and environmental protection in the Qinling Mountains and supported certain individuals to develop hydropower in the mountains, destroying the local ecology. He also aggravated economic risk through hidden debt and creating hidden financial security risks.

Jiao, 57, once worked in multiple positions under the Ministry of Finance. He was elected deputy commander of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in June 2022.

Yi failed to fulfill his responsibility for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, lusted after pleasures and abused his power causing significant losses of public property. A native of Hunan, Yi, 61, began working in 1983 and joined the Party in 1987. He spent his career in Hunan province and served as vice chairman of the CPPCC Hunan Provincial Committee from January 2018 to January 2023.

Hao evaded investigation and practiced superstition, failed to report his personal matters as required and sought personal gains in cadres selection.

Ji Binchang, 59, a native of Shandong, joined the Party in 1985 and began working in 1986. He spent his career in Shandong. He became chairman of the CPPCC Qingdao Municipal Committee in March 2022.

The four were found to have violated the CPC Central Committee's eight-point decision on improving Party and government conduct, participated in banquets that may affect their impartiality and accepted property as gifts. They also engaged in power and money trading and allowed their relatives to use their power to profit, the statement read, adding their cases and stolen goods have been transferred to procuratorial organs for review and prosecution.