Bai Xiangqun

Chinese politician
Bai Xiangqun
白向群
Vice Chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region People's Government
In office
May 2012 – May 2018
ChairwomanBu Xiaolin
Communist Party Secretary of Xilingol League
In office
February 2011 – May 2012
Preceded byRong Tianhou
Succeeded byYu Yongquan
Communist Party Secretary of Wuhai
In office
February 2008 – February 2011
Preceded byZhao Zhong
Succeeded byBao Changqing
Mayor of Wuhai
In office
March 2003 – February 2008
Preceded byZhao Zhong
Succeeded byHou Fengqi
Personal details
BornSeptember 1962 (age 61)
Beipiao, Liaoning, China
Political partyChinese Communist Party (expelled; 1984-2018)
Alma materInner Mongolia University for Nationalities
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Renmin University of China

Bai Xiangqun (Chinese: 白向群; pinyin: Baí Xiàngqún; born September 1962) is a former Chinese politician who spent his entire career in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. As of April 2018 he was under investigation by the Communist Party's anti-corruption agency and the National Supervisory Commission. Previously he served as vice-chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region People's Government.[1] Bai was the second high-ranking official probed since the National Supervisory Commission was established in March 2018, behind Wang Xiaoguang, former vice-governor of Guizhou.[2]

Born in Beipiao, Liaoning in 1962, Bai graduated from the Inner Mongolia University for Nationalities. He joined the Chinese Communist Party in January 1984, when he was about to graduate. After university he entered the workforce in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, and then Wuhai, where he was mayor for 5 years and party chief for 3 years. He rose to become party chief of Xilingol League in 2011, but having held the position for only one year, and soon he was promoted again to become vice-chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region People's Government. Before he stepped down, his subordinates Hou Fengqi, Bo Liangen (薄连根), He Yonglin (何永林) and Wu Wenyuan (武文元) were sacked in Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping's continues a campaign against corruption at all levels of government.[3]

Education

Bai was born in Beipiao, Liaoning in September 1962. He is of Mongol ethnicity. In September 1980, he entered the Inner Mongolia Nationality Normal College (now Inner Mongolia University for Nationalities), majoring in physics, where he graduated in July 1984. He was a part-time student of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Renmin University of China.

Career

After graduation, he was assigned to the Education Bureau of Chifeng Municipal Government as an official. He served as deputy secretary of Youth League Committee of Chifeng in February 1993, and two years later promoted to the secretary position. In August 1996 he was promoted to become deputy secretary of Youth League Committee of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, rising to secretary in September 2000. In March 2003, he was transferred to Wuhai, serving as mayor and deputy party chief, and then party chief, the top political position in the city, beginning in February 2008. In February 2011, he was appointed party chief of Xilingol League, a position he held until May 2012, when he was promoted again to become vice-chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region People's Government.[2][4]

Investigation

On April 25, 2018, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and National Supervisory Commission said in a statement on their website that Bai Xiangqun was put under investigation for alleged "serious violations of discipline and laws."[5] He is expelled from the Communist Party on October 19, 2018.[6][7] On October 30, 2018, the National Supervisory Commission finished an investigation of Bai's case and handed it to the procuratorial organ for review and prosecution.[8]

On January 31, 2019, Bai Xiangqun stood trial for bribery, embezzlement, insider trading and leaking insider information at the Intermediate People's Court of Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning province.[9][10] He was charged of taking advantage of his various positions in the region between 1998 and 2018 to help departments and individuals in coal resource allocation, real estate projects, construction contracting and personnel promotions and received and property worth more than 85.2 million yuan ($13.18 million) in return.[9][10] He used his position as party chief of Wuhai and Xilin Gol League between 2008 and 2012 to illegally transfer public properties valued at more than 7.1 million yuan ($1.1 million) to himself on five occasions.[9][10] He illegally acquired insider information and ordered others to buy stocks, earning more than 17.17 million yuan ($2.65 million) in profits between 2010 and 2015.[9][10] He also leaked the insider information to others, who used his information for stocks trading, illegally gaining a profit of 40.52 million yuan ($6.27 million).[9][10] On October 24, 2019, he was jailed for 16 years for taking bribes, corruption, insider trading and leaking insider information by the Intermediate People's Court of Dalian.[11] He pleaded guilty in court and said he would not appeal to a higher court.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Education cooperation develops along the Belt and Road". Chinadaily. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Inner Mongolia vice-chairman under probe". chinadailyhk. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  3. ^ 内蒙古"大老虎"白向群落马 其4名下属已陆续被抓. 163.com (in Chinese). 25 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Vice president Xiangqun Bai met with the team of Taiwan EMBA economic and trade delegation". ccpitnmg.org. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  5. ^ 内蒙古自治区政府副主席白向群接受审查调查. sina (in Chinese). 2015-04-25.
  6. ^ xinhua (19 October 2018). "Former senior provincial official expelled from CPC, office". shine.cn. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  7. ^ "内蒙古自治区政府原党组成员、副主席白向群严重违纪违法被开除党籍和公职". Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  8. ^ xinhua (30 October 2018). "Former senior provincial official arrested for bribery, embezzlement". chinadaily. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  9. ^ a b c d e xinhua (31 January 2019). "Former provincial official stands trial for graft". cri.cn. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d e 内蒙古自治区一大“贪虎”受审 罕见涉及四项罪名. Sohu (in Chinese). 1 February 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  11. ^ a b Cao Yin (25 October 2019). "Graft leads to 16-year prison sentence, fine". Chinadaily. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
Civic offices
Preceded by
Wu Lan
Secretary of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Committee of the Communist Youth League of China
2000–2003
Succeeded by
Luo Zhihu [zh]
Government offices
Preceded by
Zhao Zhong [zh]
Mayor of Wuhai
2003–2008
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by
Zhao Zhong
Communist Party Secretary of Wuhai
2008–2011
Succeeded by
Bao Changqing [zh]
Preceded by
Rong Tianhou [zh]
Communist Party Secretary of Xilingol League
2011–2012
Succeeded by
Yu Yongquan [zh]
  • v
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Campaign oversightImplicated people
(full list)
Central Committee members
Central Committee alternate members
Central organs and
State-owned enterprises
Officials of
Provincial-ministerial rank1
(incl. sub-provincial)
Military generals2
Officials at
Prefecture-level rank1
or below
Business and media
Related articles
PB Former member of the Politburo; PLA Also a military official; CDI Member of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection or affiliates
1For details on the civil service ranks of officials, please see Civil Service of the People's Republic of China;
2Army generals listed have attained at least the rank of Major General, which usually enjoys the same administrative privileges as a civilian official of sub-provincial rank.