Second Ministerial-Level Official Falls This Year — The Secret Crimes That Cannot Be Announced

Second Ministerial-Level Official Falls This Year

[People News] Following the January 29, 2026 investigation of Sun Shaocheng, former Party secretary of Inner Mongolia, Wang Xiangxi—Party secretary and minister of China’s Ministry of Emergency Management—was also taken down while still in office on January 31. That day, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) announced on its website that Wang was under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law.”

Wang’s downfall appeared sudden and unexpected. On January 27, he had still been presiding over the ministry’s 2025 “democratic life meeting,” delivering a concluding speech in which he stressed leading by example in maintaining integrity, fulfilling the “first responsibility” of the Party secretary, and “always preserving political character through clean governance.” Two days later, he was officially announced as under investigation, becoming the second ministerial-level official to fall this year. The CCDI notice did not specify his alleged offenses. In CCP phrasing, such vague charges typically imply economic corruption and political disloyalty.

Public information shows Wang was the third minister since the Ministry of Emergency Management was established, and the first Party secretary and minister of the ministry to be investigated. His leadership profile has already been removed from the ministry’s official website.

Born in August 1962, Wang previously served as mayor of Jingzhou, Party secretary of Suizhou, secretary-general of the Hubei provincial government, a member of the Hubei provincial Party standing committee, and head of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. In 2019, he became chairman and Party secretary of China Energy Investment Corporation. In 2022, he was appointed Party secretary and minister of the Ministry of Emergency Management.

In examining what violations Wang may have committed, the reporter found allegations that cannot be officially disclosed. According to records from Minghui.org, during his tenure as Hubei’s political and legal chief, authorities in Wuhan allegedly used the banner of “anti-crime campaigns” to persecute ordinary citizens who practice Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline based on Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Reports claim local authorities encouraged residents to participate, leading to widespread propaganda vilifying Falun Gong practitioners in Wuhan communities.

A so-called “Yangyuan brainwashing center” in Wuchang allegedly detained many practitioners. Those who refused to renounce their beliefs or accept official narratives reportedly faced torture, forced injections of unknown substances, threats, beatings, drugs mixed into food, prolonged standing, sleep deprivation, and coercion to sign statements of “transformation.” Some individuals reportedly died as a result of persecution. Named victims included Shen Huanjiao from Xiantao, Xiong Jiwei, Xiong Wenzhi, and Wang Gangqiang from Yingcheng, Hubei Province.

After Wang’s fall, colleagues who once greeted him warmly were reported to have quickly said “the Party’s action is correct.” On the afternoon of the announcement, the ministry’s Party committee held a meeting to relay the news. A statement on the ministry’s website said participants unanimously expressed firm support for the decisions of the Party Central Committee and the CCDI, describing the move as demonstrating the Party’s resolve to carry out strict self-governance and push forward its “self-revolution.” They said the handling of Wang’s case was “completely correct.”

Since January, authorities have announced investigations into eight centrally managed officials, including two at the ministerial level. Sun Shaocheng was the first ministerial-level official investigated this year. Meanwhile, commentators such as Cai Shenkun, who previously reported on Zhang Youxia’s case, have recently claimed that Jing Junhai, former Party secretary of Jilin Province, is also under investigation.

(First published by People News) △