Dear audience, welcome to “Epoch Focus”. What are the major events worth paying attention to today?
After the New Year of 2025, the political arena in Chongqing seems to have ignited like a powder keg, with over twenty officials falling one after another, all pointing towards one name – Chen Min’er.
Once seen as Xi Jinping’s successor, Chen Min’er’s former colleagues are falling one by one, casting a deep shadow over his career path. Is this simply a anti-corruption storm, or is there a deeper power play behind the scenes? Today, we are going to uncover the truth behind the major cleansing in Chongqing’s political arena.
Who is pulling the strings behind the scenes? Leave your thoughts in the comments at the end of the video and let’s crack this mystery together!
A multi-billion-dollar airport project has just passed inspection, but less than a month later, two senior executives were arrested – is it a coincidence or a deliberate move?
The Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport T3B terminal project was a key project promoted during Chen Min’er’s leadership in Chongqing, with an investment of billions of yuan. On January 21, 2025, the project passed its final inspection. However, on February 19, Xiong Dezhi, a member of the Party Committee and deputy general manager of Chongqing Airport Group, and Jiachao Xuan, a second-level specialist, were both taken down on the same day.
This was like a bomb that shattered the calm of Chongqing’s political arena.
Xiong Dezhi, who rose through the ranks from Deputy Manager of the Jiangbei Airport Police Station to the Deputy Chief of the Airport Public Security Bureau, finally took the position of Deputy General Manager of the group in 2018. As for Jiachao Xuan, he was an active figure until his downfall. Could this lead to uncovering a larger corruption case? Are they just small fish, or are there bigger fish waiting to be caught behind the scenes? Like and comment to share your opinions!
A 21.6 billion yuan “achievements project” that should have been a career booster has become a stumbling block for Chen Min’er – why?
When talking about the Chongqing Airport Group, one cannot ignore Chen Min’er. During his leadership from July 15, 2017 to December 8, 2022, he cherished the Jiangbei International Airport T3B terminal and the fourth runway project. This massive project with a total investment of 21.6 billion yuan includes a 3400-meter runway, a 350,000-square-meter terminal, 148 aircraft parking stands, and a 37,000-square-meter international cargo terminal. After completion, the annual passenger throughput of Jiangbei Airport was expected to reach 80 million, cargo throughput of 1.2 million tons, aircraft movements of 580,000, making it a leading airport in the country.
The story began on August 29, 2017, when the T3A terminal and the third runway were put into operation. Less than two months after Chen Min’er took office, on September 7, he inspected the site with Mayor Zhang Guoqing.
On November 25, 2020, the T3B terminal project officially started, with him personally announcing the groundbreaking ceremony, even with Tang Weibin, the Safety Director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China present.
On July 13, 2022, he made a special trip to the site to inspect the progress. On January 21, 2025, the project finally passed inspection, but less than a month later on February 19, Xiong Dezhi and Jiachao Xuan were brought down. Isn’t this timing a bit too coincidental?
Could this multi-billion-dollar project hide more than meets the eye? Is Chen Min’er’s political achievements in question, or are there others intentionally capitalizing on it?
Just after the New Year, at least nine officials in Chongqing fell within two weeks, revealing only the tip of the iceberg.
After the New Year’s holiday of 2025, from February 7 to February 19, Chongqing Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission reported that at least nine officials were under investigation. In addition to Xiong Dezhi and Jiachao Xuan mentioned earlier, others included:
– Qiao Mingjia, former consultant of Chongqing Municipal Government, had issues on February 17th;
– Li Jianfeng, Chairman of Cangshan District Disabled Federation, and Liu Xuebin, Director of the Water Conservancy Bureau of Shizhu County, surrendered on February 13th;
– Liu Yanhong, a first-level inspector at the Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision of the Procuratorate, Luo Renji, Deputy General Manager of the Rural Land Exchange Market, Wang Peixue, second-level inspector of Wanzhou Economic Development Zone, and Li Yong, Deputy Director of Huimin Street in Banan District, all fell a few days earlier.
Not to mention the period from New Year’s Day to the eve of New Year, where twelve more officials fell, including Li Qing, Deputy Director of the Wanzhou District Public Security Bureau, Zhang Xiaoqin, Director of the Xiushan County Political Consultative Conference, Liu Zhuqiang, Deputy Director of the Housing Management Bureau of Jiulongpo District, Jing Luping, staff of the Urban Construction Center in Hechuan District, Tan Qing, Secretary of the Tongliang District Committee, Wang Yong, Party Secretary of the Central Hospital in Fuling District, and many more.
Most of these individuals were part of Chen Min’er’s administration in Chongqing; people like Qiao Mingjia, Li Qing, Tan Qing, were all key members he promoted during his tenure. With such a dense wave of removals, could this be just a coincidence? Will this list reach higher-ranking figures?
A senior female official from Shanghai suddenly parachuted into Chongqing, stirring up a storm – who is she, and what forces are behind her?
The architect of this major cleanup in Chongqing’s political arena is the current Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, Song Yijia. Her career began in Shanghai, where she served as the Director of the Shanghai Audit Bureau, Director of the Finance Bureau, and Director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. When Chen Liangyu became the Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee in 2006, she was promoted to the Audit Bureau Director; under the administration of Han Zheng in 2013, she rose to be the Finance Bureau Director; she became the Deputy Secretary-General in 2017 and also took over as Director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission in 2018. Subsequently, she was transferred to the Supervision Team of the Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection stationed in the National Audit Office. In March 2022, she was parachuted into Chongqing, becoming a member of the Municipal Party Committee and the Secretary of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.
Song Yijia has deep roots with the Shanghai clique and has worked with Hou Kai, who was once the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission in Shanghai. After her arrival in Chongqing in 2022, turmoil has ensued in the political circles, especially after Chen Min’er’s transfer, leading to an unprecedented level of cleansing. Is the Shanghai clique making a move behind the scenes, or is there a higher-level power play at work?
Is Song Yijia merely executing her duties, or does she represent a certain faction in purging individuals?
From Wang Lijun to Chen Min’er, why does the political arena in Chongqing always experience such turbulence? Could the secret of successors be revealed here?
Since the Wang Lijun incident on February 6, 2012, the political landscape in Chongqing has become a high-risk zone. Both former Party Secretaries of Chongqing, Bo Xilai and Sun Zhengcai, were brought down and imprisoned during their tenure. The three successive Public Security Bureau directors, Wang Lijun, He Ting, and Deng Huilin, were successively arrested.
Prior to the 20th National Congress of the CCP, senior Shanghai faction official Song Yijia, with backgrounds in finance, audit, and discipline inspection, was appointed Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee for Discipline Inspection, leading the extensive cleanup of the Chongqing political arena. Later, Chen Min’er, once considered as Xi’s successor, faced obstacles in his career and was unable to rise to the Political Bureau Standing Committee, nor to become a Vice Premier of the State Council; he was merely reassigned as the Secretary of the Tianjin Municipal Party Committee. The correlation between the two raises intriguing questions.
Another potential successor to Xi, Ding Xuexiang, a member of the CCP Political Bureau and also from the Shanghai clique, has been embroiled in negative news since the end of 2024 and even rumored to be in trouble.
During Ding Xuexiang’s recent unusual activities, several officials in his hometown of Jiangsu, including in Nantong City, were investigated; the provincial Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, Zhang Zhong, not only served as the former Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission in Beijing under Wang Qishan but also worked under Chen Xi, a member of Xi’s political faction who has connections with Tsinghua University.
Following the Third Plenary Session of the CCP Central Committee in mid-July 2024, the political situation within the CCP underwent a dramatic transformation. There have been continuous rumors of Xi Jinping’s critical condition and potential political turmoil; signs of Xi’s declining power have been surfacing. The selection of Xi’s successor has become a secretive topic among the CCP leadership. The indications suggest that Chen Min’er and Ding Xuexiang are caught in a vortex of power struggles within the CCP, possibly related to the escalating factional infighting among various CCP factions, including Xi’s political faction, for the succession issue. The selection of a successor has become a secret topic within the high levels of the CCP.
Is this Chongqing storm the end of Chen Min’er’s political career or the beginning of a larger internal power struggle? Who do you think will be Xi Jinping’s successor? Does Chen Min’er still have a chance of a comeback? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comment section, subscribe for more updates as we continue to unveil the power games within the top echelons of the CCP!
–Production team of “Epoch Focus”–