China Investigates Incumbent Beijing Executive Vice Mayor for Corruption Ahead of Plenary Session

A high-ranking official overseeing municipal operations in China's capital, Beijing, has been confirmed to be under investigation by authorities on suspicion of corruption.

On October 22, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Commission of Supervision (NCS) of the Chinese Communist Party announced that Xia Linmao, a member of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal Committee and Executive Vice Mayor, is being investigated for suspected severe violations of discipline and law.

The phrase "severe violations of discipline and law" used by Chinese authorities typically refers to allegations of corruption or graft.

Specific details of the allegations have not been disclosed.

Born in Jianhu County, Jiangsu Province, in 1970, he earned a doctorate in engineering from Tsinghua University and has spent a long career in Beijing's urban planning sector.

After serving as the head of the Fangshan and Chaoyang district branches of the Beijing Municipal Planning Commission and as deputy director of the commission, he moved to deputy director of the General Office of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee in 2010.

He subsequently served as head of Shijingshan District, Party Secretary of Miyun District, and Party Secretary of Dongcheng District, before being promoted in 2021 to member of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Education Work Committee.

He was elected as an alternate member of the CPC Central Committee at the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 2022, during Chinese President Xi Jinping's third term, and also serves as a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), China's equivalent of a parliament.

In 2023, he was appointed Vice Mayor of Beijing and Deputy Party Secretary of the municipal government, taking on the role of Executive Vice Mayor overseeing the day-to-day operations of the municipal government.

Last year, he concurrently served as Secretary of the Working Committee and Director of the Administrative Committee for Beijing's urban sub-center.

The Beijing municipal government specifies that Vice Mayor Xia has been in charge of development and reform, finance, emergency management, foreign affairs, and statistics, while also supporting urban planning and auditing operations.

This investigation has drawn particular attention as it was announced four days ahead of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (5th Plenary Session).

Observations have been raised that the upcoming 20th Fifth Plenary Session will focus on political and ideological "housecleaning" within the party ahead of next year's party congress, which will decide whether a "fourth term for Xi Jinping" is launched.

The Chinese Communist Party's theoretical journal "Qiushi" recently released remarks made by President Xi in January during a speech at a plenary session of the CCDI, stating, "The key to well implementing the major decisions of the Party Central Committee lies in the people. We must strictly guard against 'two-faced people' who harbor two minds and whose words do not match their actions," thereby sending a message of "strict party governance."

(Photo: Capture from Baidu, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.