

Dong’s corruption subsequently included his time as an official of Hainan province, Beijing and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), a Chinese anti-graft agency, the state news agency added. Wang was the most senior official in charge of GITIC’s bankruptcy. “His sentence must serve as a warning by Xi to Wang Qishan the two (Wang and Xi) used to be close but have fallen apart during Xi’s second term,” another observer told Asia Sentinel.ĭong’s corruption spanned 21 years from 1999 to 2020, starting as an official involved in the liquidation of Guangdong International Trust & Investment Company Limited (GITIC), the largest Chinese state-owned enterprise to go bankrupt, Xinhua reported. The suspension might encourage him to provide information to the Chinese authorities, which may implicate other people, an analyst of the Cercius Group, a geopolitical consultancy headquartered in Canada, told Asia Sentinel. The court said Dong in theory should be sentenced to death due to the enormity of his wrongdoings, but he repented and gave an account of all his crimes, so his death sentence was suspended. In contrast to Lai’s hasty execution, Dong’s suspended death sentence at the hands of the Intermediate People’s Court of Qingdao came about seven months after charges were announced against him on June 9, 2021. The official announcement for Lai in January 2021 said he was convicted of taking RMB1.8 billion (US$281 million) in bribes and for bigamy.īut the hurried execution may have been a signal that Lai was guilty of more serious crimes than what was publicly announced, analysts say. Senior officials convicted of severe corruption are normally given a suspended death sentence. Lai was executed a year ago, only 24 days after receiving the death sentence from a Chinese court on January 5, 2021.
Wang qishan free#
Dong’s sentencing shows China’s nine-year anti-graft crackdown, which resulted in the investigation and punishment of nearly 500 tigers and the expulsion of nearly one million Chinese Communist Party members, is not free of corruption.ĭong is far luckier than Lai Xiaomin, a former chairman of China Huarong Asset Management Company, the biggest state-owned manager of bad assets. In China, the suspended death sentence means Dong, previously the second highest head of anti-corruption inspection teams, will escape execution if he provides information to the Chinese authorities on corruption among people possibly more powerful than himself. Wang was named in 2013 with great fanfare to carry out Xi’s anti-corruption campaign to take down “tigers” (senior officials) and “flies” (junior officials). The North last fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday, days after leader Kim Jong Un vowed to develop the country's nuclear forces "at the fastest possible speed.The January 28 “suspended death sentence” of Dong Hong, a former righthand man to Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, a former head of China’s anti-graft campaign, raises questions on the future of one of the leading figures in Chinese affairs along with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. Yoon takes office amid myriad challenges, with North Korea conducting weapons tests ahead of his inauguration.

"Based on Japan's consistent position, I think I will communicate closely with the next (South Korean) administration starting with the next president Yoon." but I don't think we should leave it as it is," Hayashi told reporters. "The Japan-South Korea relations are in a tough situation. hope to bring the friendly cooperation between China and South Korea to a higher level,” Zhao said.įrom Japan, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi plans to attend the inauguration. "China and South Korea are and will remain close neighbours and important partners for cooperation. Wang is attending the ceremony as the special representative for President Xi Jinping, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said. delegation President Joe Biden plans to visit Seoul the following week for talks with Yoon. Senior foreign affairs and security officials were not included in the U.S.

The United States is sending Douglas Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, as the head of its delegation to the ceremony, slated for Tuesday in Seoul, according to the president-elect's team. Wang's planned attendance comes as Yoon has vowed to strengthen South Korea's alliance with the United States in the face of growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, and as Washington pushes to keep Beijing's growing influence in check. SEOUL, May 6 (Reuters) - China's Vice President Wang Qishan plans to attend the inauguration of South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol next week, Yoon's team announced on Friday, as Beijing tries to expand its influence in the region.
