The Oldest 'Tiger', Qi Tongsheng, Former Chairman of the Ningxia Political Consultative Conference, Has Been Publicly Prosecuted

Illustration: CCP Police Vehicle (China Photos/Getty Images)

[People News] On July 3, the official website of the Supreme People's Procuratorate of the Communist Party of China announced the conclusion of the investigation into Qi Tongsheng, the former party secretary and chairman of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Political Consultative Conference, for suspected bribery. The case has been assigned to the Nanning City Procuratorate in Guangxi for prosecution, which has filed a public prosecution with the Nanning Intermediate People's Court.

The prosecution alleges that Qi Tongsheng exploited his various positions—including party secretary and director of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Development and Reform Commission, vice chairman of the autonomous region government, standing committee member of the autonomous region party committee, vice chairman of the government, party secretary and chairman of the autonomous region Political Consultative Conference, and vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference for ethnic and religious affairs—to accept bribes of particularly large amounts, warranting criminal responsibility.

According to public records, Qi Tongsheng is 73 years old this year and became the chairman of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Political Consultative Conference in 2013. He served as vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference for ethnic and religious affairs in 2018 and stepped down in 2023. He was officially announced to be under investigation in October last year, expelled from the party in March this year, and subsequently arrested. Caixin reported that Qi Tongsheng is the oldest 'tiger' arrested following the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

At the time of his arrest, the Communist Party stated that he had lost faith, betrayed his mission, and engaged in superstitious activities for an extended period; he also ignored the eight-point regulations…

To date, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has not publicly revealed the amount of bribes accepted by Qi Tongsheng. However, the severe accusations of 'serious violations of discipline and law' and 'particularly enormous' offences suggest that he may face a harsh sentence. This raises suspicions that political disloyalty may be more significant than economic issues, or perhaps Chairman Qi's positioning is flawed. Regarding claims of losing faith, betraying the mission, and engaging in superstitious activities for an extended period, as well as ignoring the eight regulations... which party official still believes in communism? Ask whether Xi Jinping, who claims to protect the ancestral veins of the Qinling mountains and believes in deities above him, truly holds that belief. Ask whether Li Qiang, who is concerned about the feng shui of ancestral graves and homes, believes in such things. Hundreds of party officials visit temples and other sites daily; why have they not betrayed their mission or engaged in superstition, while Qi Tongsheng has? Why doesn't the CCP clarify publicly what superstitions it has been involved in?

Moreover, which party official does not indulge in eating, drinking, and gambling? Which party official is genuinely loyal to the two safeguards and the two upholds of socialist thought in the new era? Would they dare to disclose their assets publicly? Why is it that Qi Tongsheng ignored the eight regulations?

Qi Tongsheng has been working in Ningxia since September 1985, starting as the deputy director of the Ningxia Industrial Design Institute and serving until January 2018 as the chairman of the Ningxia Political Consultative Conference. He is now the deputy director of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference's Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee. With 33 years of experience and connections in the political arena, he is truly a veteran figure. Unfortunately, despite his extensive qualifications and a lifetime of service to the CCP, he has met an unclear fate, being arbitrarily charged with crimes. Isn't this the tragedy of a party official? Having sworn to dedicate his life to the party, he has ended up truly sacrificing his life, and worse, he may also lose his property and family.

It is noteworthy that last year, four chairpersons or vice-chairpersons of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) were removed from their positions. These included Tang Yijun, the Secretary of the Party Group and Chairperson of the Jiangxi Provincial CPPCC; Li Weiwei, the Vice Chairperson of the Population, Resources and Environment Committee of the 14th National CPPCC and Chairperson of the Hunan Provincial CPPCC; and Dai Daojin, the Deputy Secretary of the Party Group and Vice Chairperson of the Hunan Provincial CPPCC. The Chairman of the National CPPCC is Wang Huning. Under Wang Huning's leadership, local CPPCC heads have faced ongoing issues, prompting speculation about whether the high-level power struggles in Zhongnanhai are characterized by mixed factional conflicts or purely factional disputes. Nevertheless, one thing is certain: as long as the Communist Party remains in power, there will continue to be numerous CPPCC chairpersons like Qi Tongsheng who will follow in succession.

(First published by People News)