【Epoch Times December 23, 2024】
Inner Mongolia water official Li Jianping was accused of involvement in a 30 billion yuan (RMB, Renminbi) corruption scandal and was recently executed. Informants indicate that the case leads to the high-ranking official Liu Yunshan’s family, revealing the ruthless power struggle within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
On the morning of December 17, Li Jianping, former Party Secretary of the Economic and Technological Development Zone of Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, was sentenced to the extreme penalty for multiple charges.
It is rare to see corrupt officials executed by the CCP, the last one being Lai Xiaomin, former Chairman of the Huarong Company, who was executed in January 2021, almost three years ago. Lai Xiaomin held a position equivalent to a deputy minister, with an official accusation of involvement in nearly 1.8 billion yuan. In contrast, Li Jianping, only a vice-bureau-level official, was accused of involvement in over 30 billion yuan according to official statements.
According to the Supreme People’s Court of the CCP, Li Jianping exploited his position to unlawfully possess over 1.437 billion yuan of state-owned company funds, of which over 0.289 billion yuan was not actually obtained; he illegally accepted over 0.577 billion yuan in bribery for others and misappropriated over 1.055 billion yuan in public funds. The total amount involved in the case was 3.069 billion yuan.
Insights from the former Director of the Legal Advisory Office of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Government involved in the case, Du Wen, revealed that Li Jianping’s actual involvement exceeded 30 billion yuan. “Old Li (Li Jianping) disclosed a huge number of officials, involving so many people that even the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Supervisory Department, the procuratorate, and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection could not handle or even dared to investigate, which ultimately resulted in a rushed decision of billions.”
He stated, “Everyone is clear that this is a political game among major families. The so-called violations of the law are just excuses and rhetoric.”
Public information shows that Li Jianping, born in May 1960 in Hebei, never left Inner Mongolia during his career. He worked in the Hohhot City water system for over ten years, holding positions such as Director of Water Conservation Department, Deputy Director of Water Resources Management Bureau, Deputy Director, and Director of Water Affairs Bureau. In March 2011, he became the Party Secretary of the Hohhot Economic Development Zone.
Li Jianping also co-founded Chunhua Water Group and served as its chairman. According to the official website of Chunhua Water, the group owns over 20 companies with a wide range of operations, including water projects, municipal engineering, ecological construction projects, tourism projects, and real estate development. Li Jianping not only wielded administrative power but also had control over substantial assets.
Li Jianping was publicly announced to have fallen from grace in September 2018, and was subjected to double disciplinary measures in August the following year. On September 7, 2022, the Xing’an League Intermediate Court convicted Li Jianping of corruption, bribery, embezzlement, and indulgence of organized crime, sentencing him to death. After more than two years of appeals, the Inner Mongolia High Court rejected his appeal on August 22 of this year.
From the initiation of the investigation on Li Jianping to his execution, it took over six years and three months. In comparison, from Lai Xiaomin’s investigation in April 2018 to his execution in January 2021, it took less than three years.
On December 21, Du Wen informed Epoch Times that there were people trying to save Li Jianping, but ultimately failed, as Xi Jinping personally decided on his execution.
Du Wen has known Li Jianping for over 20 years and has insight into him personally and those closely associated with him. Additionally, Du Wen was detained by the CCP for many years and had deep interactions with several of Li’s cohort during his imprisonment. Following Li Jianping’s death sentence, Du Wen posted two video episodes on YouTube sharing details about Li Jianping.
Du Wen stated that Li Jianping was bold in his actions, being lavish in accepting bribes and generous in gift-giving. Among officials, exchanges of favors involved staggering amounts ranging from millions to billions, all seemingly legitimate gains from friendships. This method of gift-giving was not only appropriate but also discreet, often conducted through overseas accounts for settlement.
According to Du Wen, one of Li Jianping’s backers was Liu Yunshan, another Inner Mongolia native who later rose to the highest echelons of the CCP. Li Jianping came to know Liu Yunshan through Niu Yuru, the Party Secretary of Hohhot City at the time and a member of the Autonomous Region Party Committee. The two found their characters similar and appreciated each other.
Liu Yunshan had a long career in Inner Mongolia, reaching the highest position as Vice Secretary of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Party Committee. In 1993, he was transferred to the Central Propaganda Department and later served as Minister of the Central Propaganda Department. He entered the CCP Central Political Bureau in 2007 and from 2012 to 2017 served as a member of the CCP Central Political Bureau Standing Committee, Secretary of the Secretariat, and a senior national leader of the CCP. Liu Yunshan’s career background and political inclinations demonstrated his alignment with Jiang Zemin, the former CCP leader.
Du Wen disclosed that the largest wealthy residential area project in Inner Mongolia, the Dong’an International Mansion area sandwiched between the new Autonomous Region Government and the Hohhot City Government, was a collaboration between Li Jianping and Liu’s family.
The investment was spearheaded by Li Jianping’s Chunhua Water Group, with Beijing Yashi (later renamed Inner Mongolia Yashi) handling design, management, and consulting matters. Behind Yashi, it was said to be Liu Yunshan’s son, Liu Leting.
“This project went through three or four phases, accumulating tens of thousands of square meters with villas and apartments. It has maintained the top position in Inner Mongolia for luxury housing sales for twenty years without wavering, earning a considerable profit for the Liu family,” Du Wen stated. The joint company also engaged in the urban renewal project in Baotou City and many mining resource development projects in Inner Mongolia. “Li’s money was not for himself alone. He was merely making money for the big family, acting as a white glove for money laundering.”
Du Wen previously disclosed that Li Jianping not only laundered money for Liu Yunshan’s family but also for Zeng Qinghong’s family.
With Liu Yunshan as a significant supporter, Li Jianping grew overconfident, despite many heavyweight figures in Inner Mongolia falling one after another, with some implicating him. However, Li Jianping was eventually exposed.
Du Wen mentioned that the one who orchestrated Li Jianping’s downfall was the Party Secretary of Hohhot City at that time, Yun Guangzhong. Yun was gaining momentum and poised to take on the position of Autonomous Region Chairman. In Inner Mongolia, only Yun’s camp dared to take down Li Jianping.
According to Du Wen’s revelation to Epoch Times, the Yun family’s influence extended directly to the Zhongnanhai. Xi Jinping’s father, Xi Zhongxun, was good friends with Ulanhu, a founding general of the People’s Republic of China who was also called the “King of Mongolia.” They had a friendship spanning decades. Xi Zhongxun’s secretary, Shi Guanghua, later married Ulanhu’s daughter, Yun Shubi. Shi Guanghua had assisted Ulanhu in managing East Mongolia for over twenty years. After Xi Zhongxun’s downfall, Xi Jinping went to Inner Mongolia and visited Yun Shubi’s family. “They are absolutely family!”
Unexpectedly, Yun Guangzhong also fell, betrayed by corruption on his corrupt path. Yun Guangzhong was investigated in June 2019, barely nine months later than Li Jianping’s investigation. He was sentenced to 14 years in November 2020 for corruption.
The true reason, according to Du Wen, was that Li Jianping’s supporters attempted to save him by targeting Yun Guangzhong. They believed that removing Yun Guangzhong would secure Li Jianping’s rescue, which turned out not to be the case.
“The reason the Yun’s camp could take down Li Jianping was that they promptly exposed some of Li Jianping’s illegal activities through the party discipline inspection commission. This led to an unstoppable crisis, leaving no chance for recovery.”
Liu Yunshan, who endorsed numerous senior officials in Inner Mongolia, later faced troubles himself as he belonged to the Jiang faction, being Xi Jinping’s opponent.
Du Wen revealed that Liu Yunshan advocated democratic centralism and collective leadership, opposing Xi Jinping’s dominance, even challenging him directly at the Central Political Bureau’s session on democratic lifestyle, leading Xi Jinping to take decisive action against him.
On October 25, 2018, Xing Yun, former Member of the Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and Secretary of the Baotou City Party Committee, was publicly investigated. This timing coincided with Li Jianping’s investigation by just over a month.
Du Wen shared that Xing Yun’s mother was Liu Yunshan’s wet nurse, and they grew up together like brothers. Given the close relationship, to Liu Yunshan, losing both a subordinate and a brother at nearly the same time was not a coincidence.
Xing Yun was later sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery in December 2019, with the death sentence commuted to a life sentence without the possibility of reducing or parole.
Moreover, several other high-ranking officials promoted by Liu Yunshan in Inner Mongolia were later ousted, such as Bai Xiangqun, Vice Chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and Wang Bo, former Deputy Secretary of the Standing Committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region People’s Congress.
Du Wen believed that Xi Jinping has not yet made a firm decision to deal with Liu Yunshan. His act of toppling him down has just stripped Liu Yunshan of his trusted aides, as Liu Yunshan is now isolated and unable to stir much influence.
He stated that the political struggles within the CCP are ruthless. Xi Jinping is determined to eradicate all opposing forces, which includes both the Liu Yunshan family and the Zeng Qinghong family.
In a recent issue of the official CCP publication “Seeking Truth,” Xi Jinping reiterated the warning that contradictions and problems within the Party are inevitable and must be boldly and promptly addressed to eliminate negative influences.