Xiao Yaqing, Minister of Industry and Information Technology, has been placed under investigation for suspected violations of discipline and laws, according to an official statement. Xiao, 62, who is also a Member of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is being investigated by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission. Born in Xinle, Hebei province, Xiao graduated from the Central South University in Changsha, Hunan province, majoring in materials process engineering, and holds the title of professor-level senior engineer. Xiao joined the Party in 1981. He entered the workforce in 1982 at the Northeast Light Alloy Fabrication Plant in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, and was transferred to the Southwestern Aluminium Fabrication Plant in Chongqing in 1999. In 2003, he was appointed Deputy General Manager of Aluminum Corporation of China, rising to General Manager the next year.
In 2009, Xiao became Deputy Secretary General of the State Council. In 2016, he was appointed Director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), and in 2019 he moved to head the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR). He was appointed Minister of Industry and Information Technology in August 2020.
Former Minister of Justice Fu Zhenghua pleaded guilty to taking bribes and abuse of power, during a hearing at the Intermediate People’s Court of Changchun, capital of Jilin province. Prosecutors said that from 2005 to 2021, Fu capitalized on his various posts, including Director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau, Vice Minister of Public Security, Minister of Justice and Deputy Director of the Committee on Social and Legal Affairs of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), to provide assistance to units and individuals in matters such as business operation, adjustment of positions and the handling of cases. In return, he accepted money and property, directly or through his relatives, amounting to around CNY117 million, the China Daily reports.
