In recent times, the political scene in Inner Mongolia has been in continued turmoil. Wang Zhonghe, former Vice Chairman of the Inner Mongolia Political Consultative Conference, was recently announced to be under investigation by the authorities, making him the third high-ranking official to fall from grace in Inner Mongolia since the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. He is also the fifth top-level official to be investigated this year.
The news was announced by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China on its official website on February 16. The official statement only mentioned that Wang Zhonghe is “suspected of serious violations of discipline and law” and is currently under investigation, without specifying the details of the alleged violations.
According to public records, Wang Zhonghe was born in 1957 in Linxi County, Inner Mongolia, and joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1981. He has had a long career in Inner Mongolia, serving in various positions such as Secretary of the Linxi County Party Committee, Member and Minister of the Organization Department of the Xilingol League Party Committee, Deputy Secretary of the League Committee, among others.
In 2005, Wang Zhonghe was transferred to the position of Deputy Secretary-General of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Party Committee, later serving as Deputy Secretary and Mayor of the Chifeng Municipal Party Committee in 2008, Secretary of the Chifeng Municipal Party Committee in January 2011, and Member of the Party Committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Party Committee in January 2013. He also served as Secretary of the Baotou Municipal Party Committee in August of the same year.
In November 2016, Wang Zhonghe became a member of the Party Group of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Political Consultative Conference, and in January 2017, he was appointed as Vice Chairman of the Autonomous Region Political Consultative Conference and a member of the Party Group, as well as a Member of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Party Committee. He resigned from his position as Vice Chairman and Member of the twelfth committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Political Consultative Conference in January 2021, until his recent investigation.
Following the footsteps of former Vice Chairmen of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region People’s Congress Standing Committee, Du Zi and Wang Bo, Wang Zhonghe has become the third high-ranking official to be investigated in Inner Mongolia since the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. He is also the fifth senior official to be investigated by the Party in 2025, following Zhang Tianfeng, Qizhala, Zhou Xi’an, and Liu Weidong.
It is worth noting that two former Vice Chairmen of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Yun Guang and Bai Xiangqun, have also been investigated before Wang Zhonghe.
Observers have noticed that the Chinese authorities have significantly intensified their crackdown on corruption in the Inner Mongolia political scene in recent years, with frequent cases of corruption within the energy sector. These cases often involve local senior officials.