(China, 28th) He Zhiliang, Vice Minister of the Central Social Work Department of the Communist Party of China, was officially announced to be under investigation on Saturday (June 27), making him the first senior official to be investigated since the department’s establishment in March 2023.
The website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission reported on Saturday that He Zhiliang was under investigation, stating that he is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, and is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervisory investigation.
According to public information, the 56-year-old He Zhiliang is from Linhe, Inner Mongolia, and graduated from Inner Mongolia Agricultural and Animal Husbandry College with a major in agronomy and a master's degree in agricultural extension.
He Zhiliang worked for a long time in Inner Mongolia, having served as Vice Mayor of Linhe City, Vice District Chief of Linhe District in Bayannur City, Standing Committee Member and Secretary-General of the CPC Tongliao Municipal Committee, Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department of Inner Mongolia Party Committee, Director and Party Secretary of Inner Mongolia’s Department of Culture and Tourism, among other positions.
In late 2019, He Zhiliang started working in Jilin Province, successively serving as Mayor of Jilin City, Secretary of the CPC Jilin Municipal Committee, and in January 2023 was appointed Vice Governor of Jilin Province and concurrently Inspector-General of the Provincial Public Security Department. The following month, he also took on the role of Director of the Provincial Public Security Department.
In January 2025, He Zhiliang was transferred to serve as Vice Minister of the Central Social Work Department of the CPC Central Committee. As of Saturday, He Zhiliang's name had been removed from the department leadership section on the Central Social Work Department's website.
The Central Social Work Department of the CPC Central Committee has unified leadership over the State Bureau for Letters and Calls and is the Central Committee’s department in charge of petition work, as well as leading and promoting party-building work for national industry associations, chambers of commerce, and social groups.
After China, for the first time, listed academic associations as a key area in anti-corruption efforts this January, a wave of intensive anti-corruption actions was launched. Di Qianhe, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Pharmaceutical Equipment Industry Association, was investigated on February 6—marking the first anti-corruption case against associations—while prominent industry leader Duan Xiaoping, known as the “Old Textile Hand,” was investigated on March 16.
The day after the investigation, the Central Social Work Department convened a nationwide meeting on comprehensive and strict party governance as well as warning education for industry associations and chambers of commerce, demanding a resolute fight in the anti-corruption struggle—an uphill, protracted, and overall battle—to provide strong guarantees for the sustained and healthy development of industry associations and chambers of commerce.
According to public information, the 56-year-old He Zhiliang is from Linhe, Inner Mongolia, and graduated from Inner Mongolia Agricultural and Animal Husbandry College with a major in agronomy and a master's degree in agricultural extension.
He Zhiliang worked for a long time in Inner Mongolia, having served as Vice Mayor of Linhe City, Vice District Chief of Linhe District in Bayannur City, Standing Committee Member and Secretary-General of the CPC Tongliao Municipal Committee, Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department of Inner Mongolia Party Committee, Director and Party Secretary of Inner Mongolia’s Department of Culture and Tourism, among other positions.
In late 2019, He Zhiliang started working in Jilin Province, successively serving as Mayor of Jilin City, Secretary of the CPC Jilin Municipal Committee, and in January 2023 was appointed Vice Governor of Jilin Province and concurrently Inspector-General of the Provincial Public Security Department. The following month, he also took on the role of Director of the Provincial Public Security Department.
In January 2025, He Zhiliang was transferred to serve as Vice Minister of the Central Social Work Department of the CPC Central Committee. As of Saturday, He Zhiliang's name had been removed from the department leadership section on the Central Social Work Department's website.
The Central Social Work Department of the CPC Central Committee has unified leadership over the State Bureau for Letters and Calls and is the Central Committee’s department in charge of petition work, as well as leading and promoting party-building work for national industry associations, chambers of commerce, and social groups.
After China, for the first time, listed academic associations as a key area in anti-corruption efforts this January, a wave of intensive anti-corruption actions was launched. Di Qianhe, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Pharmaceutical Equipment Industry Association, was investigated on February 6—marking the first anti-corruption case against associations—while prominent industry leader Duan Xiaoping, known as the “Old Textile Hand,” was investigated on March 16.
The day after the investigation, the Central Social Work Department convened a nationwide meeting on comprehensive and strict party governance as well as warning education for industry associations and chambers of commerce, demanding a resolute fight in the anti-corruption struggle—an uphill, protracted, and overall battle—to provide strong guarantees for the sustained and healthy development of industry associations and chambers of commerce.