While they expect new challenges from Trump’s administration organizers are going local in the plastics fight in 2025 Truthout spoke to several organizations that have spent years taking on the corporate forces behind plastics production as well as frontline organizers from the Gulf Coast and Appalachia who are resisting fossil fuel and petrochemical interests While they anticipate new challenges from the Trump administration clear-eyed and even optimistic about their mission: to organize popular movements and campaigns that can push back against endless plastics production and plastics waste “The plastics industry has a lot of political influence and resources but we are countering that with grassroots organizing,” says Judith Enck the founder and president of Beyond Plastics a nonprofit group working to reduce plastic pollution The proliferation of plastic waste originates at the point of production. Globally, we produce around 430 million metric tons of plastics each year, and plastic waste is set to triple by 2060 But powerful corporate forces say we’re merely facing a waste management problem and they have a solution they’re aggressively pushing: “advanced” or “chemical” recycling which heats plastic down to its molecular components for new use California has sued ExxonMobil the world’s largest producer of polymers found in single-use plastics for “allegedly engaging in a decades-long campaign of deception that caused and exacerbated the global plastics pollution crisis,” and the lawsuit points out that ExxonMobil has also “deceive[d] the public” through promoting chemical recycling “I think the plastics industry has taken a page from the tobacco industry, and they are peddling disinformation when it comes to plastics recycling and chemical recycling,” says Enck who served as a regional Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator before founding Beyond Plastics The plastics industry has resorted to secretive influence campaigns to push back against rising anti-plastics sentiment. One consultant specifically named Enck in industry efforts to “combat environmental NGOs.” the plastics industry knows that most plastics don’t get recycled but that didn’t stop them from spending millions of dollars in advertising telling people just the opposite,” says Enck The fossil fuel and petrochemical facilities that drive plastics production are concentrated along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast and across Appalachia, in communities — often called “sacrifice zones” — that are disproportionately poor and home to people of color One of these communities is Port Arthur, Texas, the site of several fossil fuel and petrochemical plants, including the 2nd- and 10th-largest U.S Port Arthur is an overwhelmingly Black and Brown city, and nearly 30 percent of its 55,000 residents live in poverty. Sections of Port Arthur have “cancer risk from industrial sources” that are 190 times the EPA’s acceptable risk, according to ProPublica he’s sorely disappointed at the Biden administration’s inadequate response to the crisis in his community “We should have had at least four or five monitors in addition to the ones we have because the pollution is so rapid in those areas,” he said What are communities like mine and others across the country supposed to do?” Morgan King, the climate and energy program manager at West Virginia Citizen Action, was born and raised in Kanawha County, home to massive chemical facilities like the Dow (formerly Union Carbide) and Chemours (formerly DuPont) plants that sit on opposite sides of Charleston “We still are a significant producer of these chemicals that are key for plastic production and they’re continuing to pollute and cause this cumulative impact on local communities,” she told Truthout King says two chemical recycling plants have received state funds and are trying to move toward starting operations in West Virginia She says that chemical recycling is wrongly being framed as a solution to the plastics waste crisis “They’re taking plastic waste and then burning it to make fuel and chemicals for reuse,” she said “It causes a lot of dangerous emissions and risks of air and water pollution to communities nearby these facilities.” Powerful corporate interests across multiple sectors are vested in plastics production This makes efforts to address the plastics crisis particularly challenging you’re taking on the fossil fuel industry and consumer brand companies like Coca-Cola and Starbucks and McDonald’s,” she said The Biden administration ramped up oil production and refused to support a global plastics production cap but the incoming Trump administration promises to be even more industry-friendly An industry-backed bill recently introduced in Congress would support chemical recycling and limit transparency and regulations around plastics production and waste management Enck anticipates “a full-scale policy assault on environmental protection coming from both the administration and possibly Congress,” and she worries that the Trump regime will reverse the Biden administration’s classification of chemical recycling processes of pyrolysis and gasification under the Clean Air Act as incineration which subjects them to stricter emission requirements “We’re going to see some rollback of regulations on the plastics front,” she told Truthout Globally, hopes for curtailing plastic production at the INC-5 negotiations in Busan, South Korea, in December were dashed by a bloc of powerful oil-producing nations and fossil fuel and chemical companies, including ExxonMobil and Dow and no treaty was reached on addressing plastics pollution Beard Jr. was in Busan with the Break Free from Plastic delegation joining other groups to sit in on meetings and discussions But he says core talks were exclusionary and opaque dominated by closed-door meetings of member states with civil society groups from Panama and Brazil to Rwanda and the Philippines shut out “The member states talk ad nauseam and give very little opportunity to frontline organizations demanding that we phase down and phase out certain types of plastics and chemicals that are toxic to the environment,” he said was especially upset at the U.S.’s role during the talks “They’re basically going along with whatever the powerful oil and plastics interests come up with,” he told Truthout all the organizers that Truthout spoke to were upbeat as they discussed their determination to strengthen their grassroots organizing efforts around the plastics crisis “Our strategy is not going to be any different,” said King who emphasized her group’s focus on statewide organizing efforts door-knocking and “meeting people where they’re at.” West Virginia Citizen Action is part of the regional People Over Petro Coalition, and King says two current organizing focuses of the coalition are getting the EPA to enforce Section 129 of the Clean Air Act to regulate chemical recycling facilities grassroots education and organizing against chemical recycling and other so-called clean technologies advanced by fossil fuel and plastics interests “These are just a form of greenwashing to keep on polluting and have the same corporations and executives do the same old game of exploiting Appalachian communities for profit,” says King Even in a conservative-ruled state like West Virginia King is hopeful that grassroots organizing can make advances “It’s not going to happen through our political leaders,” she said “It’s going to happen through everyday people rising up and working through collective action.” In Port Arthur, Beard Jr. continues his local advocacy efforts and his well-known Toxic Tours And while the collapse of the talks in Busan was disappointing says he left South Korea deeply inspired from the sense of solidarity and common cause he felt with other national delegations included — view both these fights as closely interconnected “The plastics we use come from oil and gas.” “We’ve got to continue to work in spite of the administration,” he told Truthout “It’s not about who’s in office It’s about what we do in fighting for what we know is right.” Enck says Beyond Plastics currently has around 250 local groups and affiliates around the U.S Enck remains hopeful for the movement around plastics pollution “We’ve got facts and we’ve got the public on our side,” she said “and now we have to convince policy makers that they can stand up to the special interests.” CORRECTION: This article was updated on January 6 to reflect the fact that two chemical recycling plants in West Virginia are not yet operational we are witnessing a terrifying array of anti-democratic tactics to silence political opposition increase surveillance and expand authoritarian reach Truthout is appealing for your support as Trump and his sycophants crack down on political speech Nonprofits like Truthout could be caught in Trump’s crosshairs as he attacks dissenting groups with bad faith lawsuits and targeted harassment of journalists these attacks come at a time when independent journalism is most needed The right-wing corporate takeover of media has left reliable outlets few and far between with even fewer providing their work at no cost to the reader Who will be there to hold the fascists to account We ask for your support as we doggedly pursue justice through our reporting Truthout is funded overwhelmingly by readers like you Please make a tax-deductible one-time or monthly donation today researcher and historian living in Buffalo He is a regular contributor for Truthout and a contributing writer for LittleSis As Trump and his sycophants work to silence political dissent independent media is a key part of the resistance Support our work by making a one-time or monthly donation to Truthout today A thermal mugs showroom at Zhejiang Ansheng Science & Technology Stock Co in Yongkang 2024 Photo: Courtesy of Zhejiang Ansheng Science & Technology Stock Co Despite the US-led "decoupling" efforts to weaken Chinese manufacturing capability China's prominence in global supply chain and its .. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is scheduled to kick off in Qatar on Sunday Known as the “world’s factory,” China has played an indispensable role in the global industry chain with a .. March 22 (CNA) A woman was killed after a fire broke out in an industrial zone in Tainan's Yongkang District early Saturday morning The bureau received a report of the fire in Asia-Pacific Industrial Zone on Zhongzheng Road at 2:11 a.m. Firefighters who arrived at the scene quickly learned that a woman was trapped inside a building's second floor and immediately began putting out the blaze using water hoses The victim was later found dead at the site Preliminary investigations by police and firefighters identified the deceased as a 76-year-old woman As the industrial zone consisted of several standalone buildings that are connected to each other adding that the burned area amounted to approximately 2,000 square meters A total of 115 firefighters were deployed to tackle the fire which was eventually extinguished at 5:55 a.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation A man who had 23 teeth extracted and 12 implants placed during a single procedure has died prompting an investigation by the Health Commission in Yongkang City underwent the procedure at DeWay Dental Clinic on August 14 and died of a heart attack 13 days later His consent form indicated the surgery involved removing 23 teeth and immediately implanting 12 new ones a method known as "immediate restoration." The surgery was performed by a doctor surnamed Yuan Huang reportedly experienced severe tooth pain Thirteen days later he died of sudden cardiac arrest hospital employees told Jimu News that the number of teeth removed in one session depends on the patient's health and is determined by the consulting doctor "Front teeth can usually be extracted and implanted on the same day but molars typically require a three-to-four-month waiting period between extraction and implantation," a staff member said Huang's consent form shows that several molars were extracted and implanted on the same day which breaks the hospital's usual procedure for tooth removals The Health Commission said: "Since there was a 13-day gap between the procedure and Huang's death we are still investigating the cause." The main entrance of DeWay Dental Clinic in Yongkang City has five years of experience specializing in root canals The commission also confirmed that the clinic is a private for-profit institution specializing in dental implants and endodontics head of the Dental Center at Wuhan Fourth Hospital noted that while adults typically have 28-32 teeth removing 23 during one procedure is unusually high 1.Comments will appear only after being approved by our team so it might be a while before your comment is posted 2.In accordance with the Regulations on Internet News and Information Services and other related laws and regulations of the People's Republic of China comments should not contain anything that is obscene Please [ Login ] to leave a comment Expansion to provide 15,500 cubic meters of water to Southern Taiwan Science Park Yongkang Reclaimed Water Plant's reverse osmosis module (Tainan City Government Water Resources Bureau photo) 3263TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tainan City Government said Friday (Aug 23) the second phase of Yongkang Reclaimed Water Plant’s expansion is scheduled to be completed by the end of August According to a press release from Tainan City Government’s Water Resources Bureau, the daily water supply will increase from 8,000 to 15,500 cubic meters to meet the water demands of Southern Taiwan Science Park, per CNA The project includes adding a reverse osmosis system The bureau explained the first phase of the plant was completed at the end of 2022 with a daily supply of 8,000 cubic meters of reclaimed water Due to the severe drought in Tainan this year the plant has increased its daily output to 9,200 cubic meters to alleviate water shortages the bureau said it will establish a water recycling facility in Tainan to reduce water pressure and protect the environment Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) said the expanded water supply symbolizes an improvement in quality of life, per UDN The water recycling center is expected to alleviate the city's water pressure and contribute to economic development CPC’s swappable battery stations debut in Tainan Southern Taiwan pheasant-tailed jacana population holds steady Interior ministry approves Tainan desalination plant Siri call to police saves Tainan woman getting strangled during aerial yoga Tainan Judicial Museum ceiling partially collapses Taiwan dollar hits NT$29 per US dollar triggering currency exchange rush Taipei MRT reminds passengers of drinking water ban Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes off east Taiwan Vietjet flight makes unscheduled landing in Taiwan Four Vietnamese residents found dead in northern Taiwan Central Bank steps in as Taiwan dollar posts strong single-day gain Taiwan ranked 2nd most innovative country in world Taiwan ranks 1st in Asia on World Press Freedom Index US tech earnings spark Taiwan stock market rally Rising Taiwan dollar over Trump tariffs has pros and cons Nestled amid Taipei’s towering high-rises is a slice of genuine foodie heaven A walk down bustling Yongkang Street (home to Yongkang Park) offers a tour of Taiwan’s most iconic and delectable dishes As a result of this thriving culinary culture many of the small businesses that once surrounded Yongkang park are not so small anymore the now world-famous Din Tai Fung restaurant once served up its first-ever basket of xiao long bao soup dumplings in this very locale; now wait times for the eatery can exceed two hours the neighborhood is also home to dozens of hidden gems just waiting to be discovered Here are our top picks for where to find foodie favorites in Yongkang park For Beer: Zhang Men Brewing Company A quick trip to Taipei might leave visitors with the impression that the ubiquitous Taiwan Beer is the country’s only domestic brand small-batch brewery of its own: Zhang Men Brewing Company This cozy tap room established its home base in Yongkang Park in 2014 the brewery has developed an impressive array of Taiwanese craft beverages that will impress any beer lover Some fan favorites include the single-hop pale ales the osmanthus ale and the Taiwan pepper ale suggest they grab something to eat off the brewery’s locally inspired bar snack menu which offers steamed dumplings and Taiwan specialty sausages www.zhangmen.co For Bao: Din Tai FungNo proper review of Taiwanese cuisine is complete without adequate mention of the country’s dumpling superstar Yongkang Park gave way to the xiao long bao revolution in 1958 and has been serving impeccably constructed soup dumplings ever since this branch tends to amass a bit of a crowd Be sure to download the official Din Tai Fung app to keep track of the queue while you’re off exploring the neighborhood www.dintaifung.com.tw For Noodles: Yongkang Beef NoodlesTaiwanese cuisine highlights rich and clients can experience all of them (and more) in a big bowl of comfort food from Yongkang Beef Noodles The Michelin Guide-recommended hot spot has been serving its beloved bowls for more than 50 years For Scallion Pancakes: Tian Jin Onion PancakeThe scallion pancake is a Taiwanese staple Tian Jin Onion Pancake has it all: a flaky outer crisp a chewy center and layers of flavor throughout from ham and cheese to Taiwanese basil and egg For Shaved Ice: Ice MonsterWhile the term “shaved ice” may conjure an image of jagged don’t fret; this is not how Taiwan operates The country’s lush agricultural landscape lends itself to an impressive selection of seasonal fruits all of which are selected for timely freshness by the shaved ice masters at Yongkang Park’s Ice Monster there is no better way to cool off than with a bowl of freshly sliced mango served over thin layers of lightly flavored ice check out Ice Monster’s warmer dessert menu for unique cozy dishes such as steamed rice porridge and sesame soup with handmade dumplings www.ice-monster.com For Tea: Ping TeaTea shops in Taipei are never more than a stone’s throw away Taiwan is the birthplace of bubble milk tea With all the variety of specialty drinks in Yongkang Park it won’t take long for boba lovers to find what their hearts desire there’s one shop that does it like no other: Ping Tea Whether you’re craving a fruity concoction of pineapple and passion fruit or a more traditional black milk tea with pearls Its sweet and crunchy brown sugar bubble tea is particularly mouthwatering www.m.facebook.com/pingtea0910 Copyright © 2025 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 301 Route 17 N, Suite 1150, Rutherford, NJ 07070 USA | Telephone: (201) 902-2000 NEW: Zhou Yongkang is sentenced to life in prison for taking bribes He's highest-ranking official to get caught up in President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign a former a fast-rising political star who was jailed for graft '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" from a group of the world’s leading China experts “Paper Tiger: China’s Once-Feared Top Security Chief Zhou Yongkang Became Just a Sad Old Man,” by Isaac Stone Fish and Rachel Lu “Say It Ain’t So, Zhou: China Reacts to the Downfall of its Once-Powerful Security Czar,” by David Wertime “China’s Fallen Mighty: A Timeline of Toppled Communist Party Leaders, 1976-2014,” by Ouyang Bin “Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright: The Vast Network of Influence Surrounding China’s Former Security Czar Zhou Yongkang,” by Isaac Stone Fish “Why Is China Purging Its Former Top Security Chief, Zhou Yongkang?: A ChinaFile Conversation,” by Pin Ho and Richard McGregor “Zhou Yongkang and the Rule of Law With Chinese Characteristics,” by Shannon Tiezzi “How Xi Swatted Flies to Trip Biggest China Tiger,” by Ting Shi “China Says Former Security Chief Is Being Investigated for Corruption,” by Chris Buckley and Andrew Jacobs “China Says Investigating Powerful Former Security Chief for Graft,” by Benjamin Kang Lim and Ben Blanchard “China Puts Ex-Security Chief Zhou Yongkang Under Investigation,” by Jeremy Page “A Family Affair,” by Lu Chen On July 29, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Chinese Communisty Party announced it was investigating ex-security czar Zhou Yongkang “on suspicion of grave violations of discipline.” Zhou who retired from the Politburo Standing Committee in 2012 to face such an inquest for corruption and abuses of power We asked contributors for their reactions to the news.—The Editors  and the repeated “leaks,” demonstrate two things: strong resistance within the Party to formalizing the investigation and aggressive new marketing techniques (“leaks”) inside the Party to make the decision irreversible the investigation is presented as a sign of opening: “Cleaning out corruption is a necessary act to deepen reforms.” Liberal commentators seem to want to be sanguine: Du Daozheng and Wu Si of the monthly journal Yanhuang Chunqiu (China Through the Ages) both write that removing the immunity of former Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) members is a step towards rule of law no decisive argument is presented by them proving that Xi Jinping is not simply settling a factional score Wu Si concedes that “in order to confirm that this is not a return to Maoist ‘hidden rules‘ but the independence of justice… we not only need more cases we also need institutional guarantees.” Wu then scales back his argument one notch tackling the immunity of former PBSC members puts an end to the control of former leaders over present leaders and in this sense represents a step towards bringing institutional practice in line with constitutional rules Xi Jinping has consolidated power by making symbolic gestures to various political groups and interests judging by the time it took to announce it and the means employed new rumors were floated about the possible targeting of Jia Qinglin Reuters wrote that the CCDI is sending inspectors to Shanghai to investigate associates of Jiang Zemin A People’s Daily op-ed entitled “Netting ‘Big Tiger’ Zhou Yongkang is Not the Final Stop to Fighting Corruption” was scrapped from the Internet within 24 hours There seems to be great anxiety that the anti-corruption campaign may become uncontrollable and degenerate into a full-fledged factional battle By shaking up the unwritten rules that have prevailed since Deng Xiaoping consolidated power In exchange for the immunity that PBSC members were granted they were expected to retire at the end of their term and to remain loyal to collective decisions both of these tenets may begin to be questioned Why should powerful leaders retire if they can then be targeted Why should they accept decision by consensus if they can later be made to pay the consequences (as is alleged in Zhou’s case with the vote on Bo Xilai) They may be better off spending their terms gathering compromising material on other colleagues and believes it must be taken because the Party’s legitimacy is in danger by disturbing the carefully crafted institutional balance I agree with the many who believe Xi Jinping has adopted a high-risk strategy All but Xi and Li Keqiang retire from the PBSC in three years time; there will also be retirees from the Politburo Are those retirees not going to wonder about their fates when they are no longer in office in light of what has been happening in Xi’s first term Since corruption is a major reason for indictment to pick off his opponents one by one and group by group in 1966-67 with nobody daring to ally with colleagues because Mao was against cliques has yet established his authority over his peers to prevent any of them from deciding to unite against him I completely agree that Xi probably expended tremendous amounts of political capital to bring Zhou Yongkang down and that this may very well deepen political divisions and mistrust within the Party leadership the overall political math for Xi is somewhat more complicated and profoundly ambiguous: He has very likely galvanized his supporters within the Party and seems to be generating a massive wave of personal popularity among the general population if the Weibo commentary on Zhou’s investigation is any indication the anti-corruption campaign appears to be a smashing success in the court of popular opinion enjoys almost absurdly high approval ratings (92 percent this translates into additional political capital for Xi is unclear from the outside but if he is indeed taking a page or two from Mao’s political playbook he will probably try much harder to utilize it than his stoic and technocratic predecessor there is at least some chance that the political “rules” we have become accustomed to over the past three decades will be significantly revised and there could once again be a truly populist element in Chinese high politics This may seem rather farfetched at the moment a political system so heavily reliant on “unwritten rules” was probably never that stable to begin with Even if Xi is reluctant to play the personal popularity card the previous comments have made it quite clear that he has already ventured into uncharted political waters You don’t need to spend long in Beijing to realize at least one thing about Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption purge and the felling of the former state security czar Every random person I talked to over two weeks this summer said they were happy to see senior party officials bought to account Such anecdotal evidence is backed up by the gleeful reaction online Sinocism’s Bill Bishop reported that traffic on Caixin magazine’s website surged ten-fold after the news broke has been covering the story better than anyone else It helps that Caixin’s editor and pioneering journalist Hu Shuli has long had good relations with the head of the Central Discipline Inspection Commission As to whether Xi’s campaign to capture crooked “tigers and flies” in the CCP is more of an old-fashioned purge than a genuine effort to weed out corruption For a leader who has vowed far-reaching economic change it is also popular politics which may help in the implementation of difficult reforms the toppling of senior party officials could seem to be damaging the CCP He believes he can install his own people in the positions vacated by the outgoing officials and strengthen the party overall in the process As Steven Tsang of the University of Nottingham noted these two things “are mutually reinforcing from Xi’s point of view.” was very much first-among-equals on the Politburo Standing committee; Xi has exhibited an instinct for grabbing power from the outset of his first term As a way for intimidating any potential challengers there are few better tools than an anti-corruption campaign especially one run by an official of the standing and forcefulness of Wang Qishan which means his own family is unlikely to make him vulnerable to charges of hypocrisy.) —The big question remains: where does it all end It isn’t just officials who worry they might be targeted who are asking this question One reason why the CCP insists on doing its corruption inquiries in-house is that any independent investigator could rummage through its affairs at will without worrying about broader political stability That is why all corruption inquiries are first of all This latest investigation has already gone much further than most would have predicted at the outset —This campaign is moving offshore in a big way the party’s anti-graft body has no legal status It enforces party discipline which extends beyond mere laws what is effectively an extralegal body is exerting extraterritorial powers Caixin has already reported how PetroChina’s Canadian investments have been caught up in the Zhou investigation The CDIC is also dispatching its investigators to other nations in search of the assets of “naked officials,” the term given to officials who have children and spouses living on their families’ ill-gotten gains abroad Some countries are likely to quietly welcome the CDIC’s help Just remember how China’s effort to extradite Lai Changxing the fugitive from the billion-dollar Xiamen smuggling scandal from Canada was caught up that country’s courts for years after he fled China in 1999 The case severely damaged Sino-Canadian relations for a decade Countries such as Australia and New Zealand favorite destinations for “naked officials,” do not want to have bi-lateral relations held hostage to domestic Chinese politics surrounding corruption they have an incentive to quietly co-operate with the CDIC Pekingology seems to be making a comeback in international commentary about the formal investigation of former Chinese security chief Zhou Yongkang In the days of foreign academics and journalists having to do their China Watching from afar—when there was a lack of direct access to the country—Pekingology focused on the rise and fall of notable political figures observers tried to judge each political player's staying power Every major development was both personal and political in nature Little was considered public policy in the usual sense of the term Zhou is not the only high-profile figure in the Chinese government who is suspected of corruption the rumor mill of Chinese politics—both in- and outside China though often most accessible in the Chinese language—is never short of stories leading to understandable questions about selective and politically-driven punishments for international commentators to stay away from conventional Pekingology and view China's current anti-corruption efforts squarely as a policy issue facing any country and its government corruption in China takes place in and has consequences for jurisdictions beyond China corruption in China not only distorts the normal operation of the domestic economy but also can cause irregularities in the economies of the countries with which China trades it is in the interest of Chinese law-enforcement agencies to collaborate with foreign governments to bring corrupt Chinese individuals to justice A case in point is the handling of Lai Changxin after lengthy diplomatic negotiations between China and Canada Lai was extradited back to China to face justice Lai and his lawyers claimed Beijing had persecuted him for his politics Lai was known to be the target of a corruption investigation targeting high-ranking officials Throughout Lai's struggle to stay away from China Chinese back home viewed Canada as harboring an economic criminal China ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption a ready vehicle for enlisting the support of its signatory governments to collaborate to keep corruption in check among officials With the public announcement that the party will investigate former internal security chief Zhou Yongkang Xi Jinping’s 600-plus day anticorruption campaign has reached a critical stage one focused on rank and file “flies” and mid-level “foxes,” the other on high-level “tigers.” The latter which includes the attack on Zhou and his protégés has garnered the greatest interest and fueled debate about the nature of corruption Many dismiss Xi’s campaign as a political purge disguised as an anticorruption campaign Xi clearly has used the campaign to take out Zhou The much less glamorous detention of hundreds of senior officials and tens of thousands low-level bureaucrats and cadres is nevertheless a critical part of Xi’s attack on corruption But this is really just a continuation of a three-decade-old war on corruption What Xi did in late 2012 was to escalate that open ended-fight That part of the campaign will likely continue But is Xi going to keep hunting big tigers There is increasing talk of displeasure and mounting opposition from the party Officials are said to be anxious and fearful Suicides are rumored to be rising and college graduates are shunning civil service careers Others are said to be preparing to flee by sending their families—and their loot—overseas Some suggest that the campaign is hurting the economy and accelerating the gradual slowing down of the economy several media outlets on the mainland have hinted there is a threat of a “counter attack” by an unnamed cabal of “big tigers” and “old tigers.” Other rumors claim Xi promised the retired party strongmen that he would stop hunting tigers after he bags Zhou or that he had to announce the Zhou investigation before the upcoming plenum because he feared that the party would reject it Xi certainly has incentives to terminate the tiger hunt Not only does he face the possibility of pushback an attack on additional “old tigers”—retired leaders—has the potential to split the party convince the public that the party leadership is rotten and hence that the entire system is bankrupt which would negate Xi’s hopes to bolster regime legitimacy by showing that the party can—and will—fight corruption wherever it is found is said to be very popular and that the public wants to see more tiger pelts could make Xi seem weak and intimated by the big and old tigers particularly if he hopes to push through new reforms at this fall’s plenum and it is unclear if we will see another 600 days of deadlock and a return to corruption as usual The trajectory of the campaign over the next few weeks and months will reveal a lot about Xi’s political fortunes and future ChinaFile ChinaFile is a project of the Asia Society. Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker who is at the centre of China's biggest corruption scandal in more than six decades two sources said.More than 300 of Zhou's relatives proteges and staff have also been taken into custody or questioned in the past four months who have been briefed on the investigation told Reuters.The sheer size of the asset seizures and the scale of the investigations into the people around Zhou - both unreported until now - make the corruption probe unprecedented in modern China and would appear to show that President Xi Jinping is tackling graft at the highest levels.But it may also be driven partly by political payback after Zhou angered leaders such as Xi by opposing the ouster of former high-flying politician Bo Xilai who was jailed for life in September for corruption and abuse of power.Zhou has been under virtual house arrest since authorities began formally investigating him late last year He is the most senior Chinese politician to be ensnared in a corruption investigation since the Communist Party swept to power in 1949."It's the ugliest in the history of the New China," said one of the sources requesting anonymity to avoid repercussions for speaking to the foreign media about elite politics.The government has yet to make any official statement about Zhou or the case against him and it has not been possible to contact Zhou It is not clear if any of them have lawyers.The party's anti-corruption watchdog and the prosecutor's office did not respond to requests for comment In the secretive world of China's Communist Party targets of its investigations usually disappear until an official announcement is made.Xi ordered a task force formed in late November or early December to look into accusations against Zhou They have not said what the allegations were except that they were related to violating party discipline official jargon for corruption.A third source with ties to the leadership said Zhou had refused to cooperate with investigators insisting he was the victim of a power struggle."Zhou Yongkang is tough and claims its political persecution," the source said.Zhou rose through the ranks of China's oil and gas sector before joining the elite Politburo Standing Committee in 2007 where as domestic security chief his budget exceeded defense spending He retired in 2012 and was last seen at an alumni event at the China University of Petroleum on October 1.BONDS GOLDThe first two sources said prosecutors and the party's anti-corruption watchdog had frozen bank accounts with deposits totaling 37 billion yuan and seized domestic and overseas bonds and stocks with a combined value of 51 billion yuan after raiding homes in Beijing Shanghai and five provinces.Investigators had also confiscated about 300 apartments and villas worth around 1.7 billion yuan antiques and contemporary paintings with a market value of 1 billion yuan and more than 60 vehicles Other items seized included expensive liquor silver and cash in local and foreign currencies.The seized assets belonged to those in custody without saying how many people in total had been detained compared to just questioned Most of the assets were not in Zhou's name the seized assets had a combined value of at least 90 billion yuan although it was unclear what share of that total was ill-gotten and would be turned over to the state.The amount eventually made public could be smaller to avoid embarrassing the party and angering ordinary Chinese where excess has often been revealed from graft probes in recent years the respected Chinese magazine Caixin said authorities had seized a solid gold statue of Mao Zedong among other things from the mansion of a senior military officer who has been under investigation since he was sacked in 2012.LONG LISTThe first two sources added that more than 10 of Zhou's relatives had been detained They included Zhou's one-time television reporter wife Jia Xiaoye his eldest son from a previous marriage Zhou Bin Zhou Bin's in-laws and Zhou Yongkang's brother.About 10 officials who held a rank equivalent to at least vice minister were also under investigation the sources said.Among them were Jiang Jiemin former chairman of both state energy giant PetroChina and its parent China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) former Vice Minister of Public Security Li Dongsheng and Ji Wenlin ex-vice governor of the southernmost island province of Hainan.Chinese state media has announced that all three were being investigated for serious violations of discipline They were either proteges or aides to Zhou.Reuters has been unable to contact the three men It's unclear if they have lawyers.More than 20 of Zhou's bodyguards secretaries and drivers had also been detained Many other family members and associates had been questioned.THE BIGGEST TIGER?Since becoming head of the party in late 2012 and then president a year ago Xi has vowed to go after both powerful "tigers" and lowly "flies" in an effort to crack down on the corruption he says threatens the party's very existence.But Xi is in a dilemma over whether to put Zhou on trial lest it further undermine public faith in the party referring to the growing disillusionment in China over rampant graft and abuse of power.Xi would also risk alienating other party elders who fear that they and their families could be next political analysts say.Putting someone as powerful as Zhou in the dock would be a political decision that only Xi could make after getting the consensus of senior party members Xi's predecessors and other retired top officials Xi broke with an unwritten rule that incumbent and retired members of the Standing Committee were immune from prosecution.As a member of the Standing Committee Zhou would have intimate knowledge of the skeletons in the party's closet.It is still unclear exactly why Zhou has been targeted though an early sign that he might have overstepped was when he retired and the position of domestic security chief was dropped from the Standing Committee.Sources have also said Zhou angered Xi and other leaders over Bo Xilai whose career was ended in 2012 by a murder scandal in which his wife was eventually convicted of poisoning a British businessman who had been a family friend.Before Bo's downfall Zhou had recommended that Bo succeed him as domestic security chief multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter have said.Editing by Dean Yates Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved and many of its aesthetic trademarks – the uniform black suits the turgid speeches – call to mind a massively powerful machine the fallen security tsar Zhou Yongkang – China's third most powerful man until he retired in 2012 – was a rare anomaly On Tuesday, the Communist party put an end to months of speculation when it announced an inquiry into Zhou "for grave violations of discipline" He is the highest-level figure in the party's history to be investigated for graft profiles of Zhou painted him as China's Dick Cheney his immense power matching only his moral decay He certainly looks the part: while China's president carries a perennial expression of enlightened bemusement Zhou's steely visage suggests barely concealed malice; his occasional smiles look painful and forced he was the head of the Communist party's political and legislative affairs committee He was known for his frequent use of the term "hostile forces" – an intentionally vague category encompassing a multitude of disparate camps from pro-democracy campaigners to activists in Tibet maintaining a vast "stability maintenance" apparatus involving draconian internet censorship campaigns and extralegal penal systems Zhou's only superiors were the president and the prime minister and during his tenure China's domestic security budget exceeded that of its military many of whom had apparently leveraged Zhou's influence to amass extraordinary wealth Those held included his brother Zhou Yuanqing; his second wife State media remained silent even as Zhou's empire began to crumble, and in the absence of official information, rumours proliferated They ranged from the carefully deduced to the wildly outrageous Zhou has been accused of accepting bribes and orchestrating a crippling attack on Google – both of which seem plausible if unverifiable – but also ordering aides to murder his first wife "Zhou turned stability maintenance into an industry," said Zhang Lifan a prominent Communist party historian in Beijing Zhang spent years under surveillance after urging the central government to follow its own constitution which guarantees freedom of speech and assembly State security tailed his car and froze his bank accounts Only a few days after Zhou retired in 2012 a sprawling metropolis in coastal Jiangsu province He graduated from the Beijing Petroleum Institute in 1966 and over the next three decades climbed the ranks in China's state-controlled oil sector By 1996 he was the general manager of the China National Petroleum Corporation he made a remarkable – and poorly understood – transition into mainstream politics cycling through a brief stint as head of the land and resources ministry before becoming the Communist party head of Sichuan province He was named minister of public security in 2003 Analysts say Zhou may be the first person in Communist party history to have entered its highest ranks through the security forces if the rumours are true," said Jean-Pierre Cabestan an expert on elite Chinese politics at Hong Kong Baptist University "Why was he transferred from the oil business to public security or given something to [the former president] Jiang Zemin and his people for the promotion." Zhou was considered a patron of the disgraced Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai a one-time presidential hopeful who is serving a life sentence for corruption Political analysts once agreed that Bo would probably succeed Zhou on the elite politburo standing committee Then in 2012 Bo's wife murdered a British businessman in a Chongqing hotel Bo said at his trial that an organisation run by Zhou – the central politics and law commission – ordered him to keep the murder secret Analysts say President Xi considered Bo a threat Xi could further consolidate his grip on power battling entrenched interests across the oil industry and domestic security apparatus and paving the way for economic reform Last October, Zhou visited the China University of Petroleum's 60th anniversary celebration. In pictures posted on the university's website, Zhou stands tall, sporting a black suit and his trademark grin. Students bow towards him deferentially. It was the last time he was seen in public announced the investigation into Zhou in three short lines many Chinese media outlets re-ran the photos Zhou Yongkang – a key adversary of Chinese president Xi Jinping – is most senior Communist party official ever to have faced corruption charges China’s former security chief and the arch-rival of the president has been sentenced to life in prison for corruption following a secret trial Zhou Yongkang – one of the Communist party’s most powerful and feared figures until his retirement in 2012 – was a key adversary of the Chinese leader and some experts had predicted he would be executed for his alleged crimes Following the closed-door trial, the 72-year-old was convicted of bribery, abuse of power and leaking state secrets, Xinhua, China’s official news agency, announced He is the most senior Communist party figure ever to have been convicted of such charges. “I realise the harm I have caused to the party and to the people,” a silver-haired Zhou told the court, according to CCTV, the state broadcaster. Read more“I broke the law and party rules incessantly and the objective facts of my crimes have resulted in grave losses to the party and the nation,” he added, according to Xinhua which was held about 80 miles from Beijing in the north-eastern city of Tianjin began on 22 May but was only revealed on Thursday evening The fallen Communist party titan was convicted of taking 129m yuan (£13.4m) worth of bribes as well as leaking “top secret files” While Zhou had taken “particularly huge bribes”, he had also “truthfully confessed, pleaded guilty and repented his wrongdoing when brought to justice”, the court said seven years before Mao Zedong’s Communist troops swept to power He joined the party in 1964 and forged a successful career in the oil industry, eventually becoming the general manager of CNPC, the state-run energy giant. Some knew him as China’s Dick Cheney Zhou went on to reach the highest echelons of the Communist party He was named minister for public security in 2002 and then head of the party’s political and legislative affairs committee His position at the helm of the country’s feared security apparatus meant he was widely loathed by human rights activists but also immensely powerful he became one of nine members of the politburo standing committee a position he held until his retirement in 2012 By then, Zhou’s future appeared to be in jeopardy. He was last seen in public in October 2013, amid frantic speculation that his purge was imminent. Zhou was eventually indicted on corruption charges in April this year We don’t know what Xi Jinping wants to do in China yet but we do know that he is ambitiousSteve TsangXi who became Communist party chief in late 2012 just as Zhou stepped down has been portrayed as China’s most powerful and authoritarian leader since Mao Some experts described the verdict as a victory for a president Chinese spin doctors call “Xi Dada” an expert on Chinese politics from the University of Nottingham said Beijing’s decision to try Zhou in secret suggested Xi was not as dominant as some observers suggest he is still confident – but not as much as we were all giving him credit for,” Tsang said Communist party leaders appeared to have struck a “political deal” with Zhou a politics professor from Beijing’s Tsinghua University “Judging from the fact that Zhou has decided not to appeal and from his final statements the trial could be understood as a pre-arranged political deal.” Striking such an agreement was probably intended to spare the Communist party’s blushes a prominent and outspoken Beijing-based historian As the former head of China’s domestic spy network “Zhou might hold the secrets of many VIPs which he could use as his bargain chips,” said Zhang Xi has made the fight against corruption a key theme of his presidency, vowing to drive thieving “tigers” such as Zhou from the party. In his first public address after taking power, Xi warned that rampant corruption could ultimately bring his government down. “The whole party must stay on full alert,” he warned. Read moreSince then dozens of high-ranking party officials have been toppled including top members of the People’s Liberation Army the mayors of major cities and even a former spy chief a Ferrari-loving mining tycoon once worth more than £4bn was executed in February after he was convicted of leading a double life as an “evil gangster” responsible for gangland shootings and turf wars The ferocity of Xi’s offensive has been such that there has been speculation over whether even bigger Communist party figures such as Jiang Zemin might be in the crosshairs of the anti-corruption campaign But the decision to topple Zhou was largely a political one who claimed that Xi saw the former security tsar as an obstacle preventing him from asserting “his supremacy within the party” “We don’t know what Xi Jinping wants to do in China yet but we do know that he is ambitious We do know that he wants to leave a mark,” said Tsang The anti-corruption campaign has gone down well with the masses who are weary of widespread official corruption the campaign has been blamed for an apparent spike in the number of officials committing suicide Upscale restaurants and luxury goods retailers complain business is down as suddenly frugal Communist cadres retreat into the shadows There are also signs of growing pushback among sectors of China’s Communist elite Earlier this week the daughter of Chen Yun gave an indication of the divisions opening up at the top of China’s Red aristocracy when she publicly threw her support behind the president Xi is implementing the anti-corruption drive “to secure the party rule” according to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post Yongkang Street will be for pedestrians only on weekends in May Taipei mayor plans to turn Yongkang Street into a pedestrian zone on weekends 3861TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) aims to transform busy commercial areas into pedestrian zones with the first trial programs beginning in May The idea to transform Yongkang Street into a pedestrian zone was first discussed at a city council meeting on March 11 and was later followed up with an inter-departmental meeting Chiang said many citizens have encouraged him to implement pedestrian zones based upon their overseas travel experience as many distinctive and popular neighborhoods are vehicle-free Chiang said a visit to Tokyo’s Shibuya District also inspired him he consulted two borough chiefs and two business association chairs in the Yongkang Street area The borough chiefs worried the pedestrian zone would impact residents' rights and suggested supporting measures a decision was made to trial the Yongkang Street pedestrian zone starting from Mother's Day (May 11) and rehabilitation vehicles will be able to enter and exit Chiang said the next pedestrianization target is Xinzhongshan Linear Park a 2.5-hour street closure allowed people to gather in the street Chiang hopes that store owners will realize that pedestrian zones encourage consumer spending and bring prosperity to a business district Chiang encouraged citizens to visit Yongkang Street on Mother’s Day Taipei mayor to eliminate top traffic accident hotspot Taipei mayor continues milk program for students Taipei Dome and Tokyo Dome consider ‘sister dome’ agreement Taipei mayor calls for reduction in Chinese military activity around Taiwan Taipei mayor intent on holding Taipei-Shanghai Forum Taipei launches Christmas-themed events and activities Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon The best of Time Out straight to your inbox We help you navigate a myriad of possibilities Sign up for our newsletter for the best of the city By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news Sign up for our email to enjoy your city without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush) By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Worldwide Earlier this year, we asked 20,000 city dwellers from all corners of the globe about everything that’s fresh and exciting about their hometowns. It was part of the Time Out Index our yearly survey designed to find out everything and anything that’s happening in cities around the world Those thousands of responses produced a shortlist of the world’s buzziest, trendiest streets, which we then combined with the contributions of our global network of experts. The result: definitive ranking of the coolest streets in the world in the world right now. And here’s one street that you really need to know about: Taipei’s Yongkang Street Yongkang emerged as the fourth-coolest street in the world, making it not just the coolest street in Taiwan but in all of Asia So why did Yongkang rank so highly? First up, there’s its food. The street is packed full of eateries fit for any meal of the day and for any mood. From street-food vendors that sizzle and dazzle to a huge selection of top-tier restaurants, Yongkang also boasts city-renowned dessert parlours – including the Smoothie House Then there’s Yongkang’s drinking scene. Given even more life in recent years by the development of small-batch craft beer house Zhang Men Brewery the street is also packed with boutique coffee shops and tea houses that serve traditional teas as well as proper third-wave brews with beans from across the globe And finally there’s Yongkang’s shopping scene Navigate your way through a blaze of sheening street lights and signs and you’ll come across the alternative handmade goods of Littdlework and a maze of tiny shops selling edible souvenirs locally-made artisan goods and other magnificent crafts There’s all you could possibly want to take home from a Taipei trip – and quite a lot more Better buy an extra suitcase while you’re at it And when you’re looking for a breather from all that eating Yongkang happens to be perfectly placed for that a neighbourhood which is one of Taipei’s quieter leafier (largely thanks to Daan Forest Park) and more residential areas Now, read the full ranking of the world’s coolest streets in the world according to 20,000 city-dwellers and our local experts Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! tiktokfacebooktwitteryoutubeAbout us Contact us China’s former top security chief and former member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of C.P.C. is being investigated on charges of corruption “Zhou Yongkang Case Has Nothing to Do with Anti-Corruption Resolve,” ChinaChange, December 17, 2013 “Zhou Yongkang Next to Fall in China Corruption Purge?” BBC, December 16, 2013 “China Focusing Graft Inquiry on Ex-Official,” The New York Times, December 15, 2013 “China’s Corruption Purge: The Fall of Zhou Yongkang,” The Daily Beast, December 12, 2013 “China Puts Former Security Chief Under House Arrest,” Reuters, December 11, 2013 “China’s Mighty Fallen: A Timeline of Toppled Communist Party Leaders, 1976-2013,” ChinaFile, September 19, 2013 “The Leader Vanishes,” The Economist, September 13, 2013 [Zhou Yongkang’s downfall] is the second chapter of the “Bo Xilai Drama”—a drama begun at the 18th Party Congress The Party’s power transition has been secret and has lacked convincing procedure This [lack of transparency] has triggered unimaginably huge debates within the Party Every retiring Politburo Standing member has been trying hard to pick their own successors Zhou Yongkang picked Bo Xilai as the Secretary of Political and Legal Affairs There was a hidden attempt behind this arrangement—a challenge to Xi Jinping’s power the Party is done with Bo Xilai and has started to handle Zhou Yongkang Xi Jinping plans to use Zhou Yongkang as a sacrifice in his anti-corruption campaign If Xi failed to break the unwritten rule that the Politburo Standing members are immune to any legal punishment Zhou Yongkang’s corruption has been well-known and people both inside and outside of the Party hate him he has become the best tool to build up Xi Jinping’s power Through the fog of factional war that invariably envelopes any top-level corruption investigation in China we can be clear about one thing if Zhou Yongkang is in fact the target of an official graft probe Xi Jinping’s willingness to take on a once-serving member of the Politiburo standing committee will confirm the assessment a number of China experts have already made of him—that he is a singularly powerful leader; certainly the most powerful General Secretary of the C.C.P will not be evidence of something else being bandied around by some commentators—that Xi is finally “getting serious” about corruption rules—in which the party catches and kills its own free of any of the constraints of the law (such as it is)—corruption probes inherently are political decisions An investigation of someone as senior as Zhou is thus a high wire act requiring Xi to not only get the support of serving members of the inner sanctum but also the informal council of elders who are consulted on sensitive issues The trail of the investigation so far has walked the world through his power bases—the sprawling province of Sichuan where he was once the top official; the “petroleum mafia,” once-impregnable fortresses of the big state-owned oil giants which have deep military connections; and finally in the state security establishment I suspect the threshold decision to take on Zhou was made concurrently with the move against Bo Xilai Bo’s unforgivable sin was to buck the system and campaign openly for a position on the standing committee Zhou’s apparent support for him meant that Bo’s fall made him a marked man as well Xi has clearly let the investigators have their head as evidenced by the detention of various senior executives in the oil industry could anyone suggest he is “not serious” about corruption Xi’s anti-corruption rhetoric seems to have put some five-star restaurants out of business as state and private businesses cut back on ostentatious entertaining he has an exceptionally tough head of the CCP’s anti-graft body there is no good reason other than power politics for why Zhou and his family should be investigated instead of or perhaps even members of Xi's own family chronicled in detail by The New York Times and Bloomberg News So while we shouldn’t shed any tears for Zhou Yongkang—it couldn't happen to a nicer guy as the saying goes— let’s equally not pretend Xi is ushering in a new era of fearless prosecution of graft But Xi now occupies all of the most powerful positions In addition to the Party and the military he also controls the government He holds the number one positions both in fact and in name He not only occupies the most important political position but he has distanced himself from other members of the Standing Committee reports about activities related to members of Politburo Standing Committee are only broadcast after the top news and are limited to two minutes news reports about Xi are always in the top news and have no such time limitations This represents a breakdown of the whole system behind the Politburo Standing Committee the collective leadership system is a rare creature that has never had to stand the test of time or been tested by events They usually don’t oppose each other’s policy proposals and personnel appointments because they know others will repay them in kind in the future A collective leadership in which members only seek personal gain is not sustainable Hu Jintao’s Standing Committee left a powder keg for Xi Jinping he’ll likely be the last General Secretary of the CPC But even as he presents himself as powerful Xi Jinping has put himself in the most dangerous of situations surrounded by arrogant and conceited princelings and by bureaucrats who are all talk but no action They are good at scheming and intrigue and have their own intricate circles of power So it will take courage and intelligence for Xi to break away from them people's faith in so called “reformist” C.C.P people don’t have the nerve to place much hope in Xi Jinping So much less so given that during his first year in office his language and actions have echoed those of Mao Zedong and he has so openly cracked down on liberals to the point that some people see him as casting himself as Mao’s heir then Zhou Yongkang is just a sacrifice at the altar of Xi’s power It’s no different from when [Mao] punished Xi’s father's comrade Gao Gang (former Vice Chairman of the Party) who later later won sympathy [because Mao had used him] he had committed all sorts of outrageous offenses when he was in power But what if Xi Jingping eventually proves he is truly an ambitious reformer then how should we regard what he's doing today how can you demand that Xi achieve everything all at once as Mr McGregor’s logic seems to suggest he should Xi were suddenly to clean out every corrupt official at once To what extent Xi’s thinking is rooted in Western civilization’s political thinking but his familiarity with tales of palace intrigue is indisputable so he should know that if he wants to build up his power This is how Chinese politics is strange: because Chinese leaders (and business leaders) love reading books (some of them fictional) about the manipulations of the emperors everyone in Chinese politics knows how to play dirty But people tend to underestimate the scope of a critical situation or how it might unfold If Zhou Yongkang had seen his own fate in Bo Xilai’s troubles if Bo had seen his own life sentence in Wang Lijun’s would either of them have allowed themselves to be captured Xi Jinping didn’t necessarily know what his own next steps would be Regardless of what kind of leader he turns out to be arresting Zhou Yongkang lifts everyone’s spirits A good feud in the imperial court makes a great show So let’s all find a cozy spot on the couch and wait for the next episode ChinaFile is a project of the Asia Society Prosecutors formally charged former top official Zhou Yongkang Former domestic security official is the most senior Chinese official to face corruption charges is sentenced to life in prison for taking bribes also got seven years for abuse of power and four years for revealing state secrets Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times Everyone in Shanghai has time for nostalgia whether they’ve lived in the city for generations or a matter of months The breakneck pace of change in one of the world’s biggest cities means even the most recent newcomers have witnessed radical transformations as the subway spreads its web through the guts of the earth Yongkang Lu — lu being the Chinese word for “road” — is mostly frequented by foreigners The government announced earlier this month that the long nights of drunken revelry will soon come to an end The news caused a stir among the expat community but locals who have long complained about the bars aren’t satisfied either The issue might seem parochial: The epicenter of the tension is only a 150-meter-long stretch of Yongkang Lu which runs east-to-west through the heart of leafy Xuhui District But the dispute has put the spotlight on the wider issue of how the government should manage exploding growth across China’s cities and respond to citizens’ demands as their environment transforms around them When district chief Bao Bingzhang said earlier this month that Yongkang Lu bars had to go he vindicated the locals who have been lobbying for this change for years they were so fed up with the drunk foreigners that they even poured hot water onto them But some locals were ambivalent about the news that Yongkang Lu was earmarked for an urban renewal project, along with other streets in Xuhui District. Though two bars have already been ordered to close by August 26, the lack of clarity and consultation from the government has frustrated both residents and businesses Several bar owners say they’ve done everything by the book and later reports confirmed that only unlicensed businesses would be shut down “I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since 2010,” 70-year-old Chen Jingui told Sixth Tone He and his wife take sleeping pills and go to bed before 8 p.m. before the party downstairs reaches its crescendo Chen said the foreigners sing and dance in the street when they get drunk but we feel like we’re in hell,” he said.  But Chen doubts that there will be any significant changes if the government only shuts down the unlicensed bars “The rest will still keep us awake,” he said Chen remembers when the street began to fill up with bars after 2010 when the government shut down the produce market that soiled the street before Resident Wu lives directly above a bar on Yongkang Lu and said the floor shakes when it’s loud she said she understands the foreigners and young locals who want to hang out and relax Wu said she hasn’t heard any news from the government directly about the plans but would prefer to be moved to a new neighborhood “We hope the government would consider relocating us so that everyone can enjoy their lives,” she said Some residents question the real motivation behind the district’s gentrification project which aims to reduce “low-end” businesses and attract quality retailers and he has lived around the corner on Jiashan Lu for 30 years He believes the proposed changes reflect the government’s dissatisfaction that it hasn’t profited from the success of the businesses as much as it could. Sun thinks most of the residents would welcome being relocated as many of the 1930s terrace buildings are cramped and falling apart Part of what makes Yongkang Lu so contentious is that the street sits in a prime area of historical Shanghai Though property prices in the area have soared astronomically the residents are not necessarily wealthy — many moved in during the Communist era of allocated housing Homeowners here have enjoyed the boom in property prices especially if they were lucky enough to have bought their allocated housing at low prices when the private-property market first opened in the 1990s Real estate agent Wang Liang, who works a block away on Yongjia Lu, said that the street is popular with young families because it enables buyers to register their household within the boundaries for some of the best schools in the district.  Pointing to an advertisement for a single room of only 15 square meters with bathroom and kitchen shared with the neighbors Wang said it had just sold to a young couple for 1.7 million yuan ($255,000) “But they won’t live here because the environment isn’t good for the kid,” he said.  Yongkang Lu sits right in the middle of Xuhui District where the old both collides and colludes with the new Sparkling megamalls housing luxury brands like Gucci and Prada flank the main boulevard of Huaihai Lu which is lined with plane trees the French colonial authorities planted in 1902 when they called the road Avenue Joffre After decades of rapid growth and transformation the district authorities are now trying to regain control of planning and strictly enforce residential and commercial zoning rules Some of the businesses that have been targeted by the urban renewal project are trendy upscale restaurants and boutiques that themselves represent the existing a writer who has a studio in a laneway off Wuyuan Lu in the western part of Xuhui District has witnessed the effects of policy changes firsthand over the last few months Li estimated that about 10 businesses on the street including popular fusion restaurant Xixi Bistro while others retained their glass windows but were forced to renovate and move a meter back from the street Li said the crackdown on licensing was a policy reversal from the 1990s when the government encouraged ground-floor households along the street to open small businesses “So if you applied for a license at that time But many businesses operating now are renting their premises from landlords who didn’t have the property relicensed for commercial use and now applications for new licenses aren’t being approved He’s unimpressed with the district’s plans to standardize and sterilize the neighborhood.  the bar owners maintain that their businesses have made the street vibrant and diverse who runs the craft beer bar Zapfler with her German husband “The old market left refuse all down the street and it was noisy when the produce came in at 3 a.m.” there was little sign of change on the street as crowds overflowed into the summer evening “I’ve lived in China long enough to know that change happens quickly,” said Matt Waters a 34-year-old American who has lived in Shanghai for six years He’s seen dozens of businesses on South Shaanxi Lu — including his favorite cheese shop — boarded up and shut down Some locals also enjoy the distinctive atmosphere of the street She went to primary school just 2 kilometers west of here she visits Yongkang Lu regularly to take pictures Dai sympathizes with the residents’ complaints but thinks the government should have relocated them instead and designated the street as a nightlife hub referring to a block of fading townhouses southeast of Yongkang Lu which was redeveloped into a tourist haven Other areas that have been targeted by district authorities for revitalization campaigns are now empty and dull After years of complaining and reporting to the authorities feel that the closing of some bars is in itself a victory “I don’t understand what took them so long,” Jin said of the local authorities the 50-year-old said that she has to tiptoe around puddles of urine “Public toilets and trash cans were built for these laowai,” she said they ignore the toilets and just pee in the lane.”  is considering selling his 30-square-meter apartment which is now worth more than 3 million yuan “We got married here and saw our grandchildren grow up on this street,” he said With contributions from David Paulk and Wu Yue (Header image: Crowds flow onto the street on Yongkang Lu at night Covering a short two blocks, this stretch of road has become a melting pot for expats. From fish and chips to Dutch cheese and Irish pubs, you’ll be amazed at the variety of food and beverage options that one small street can contain. During Shanghai‘s good weather days doors open up and people vie for space on the sidewalk tables as parties spill out into the streets and the whole block melds into one lively dinner venue Information on this page, including website, location, and opening hours, is subject to have changed since this page was last published. If you would like to report anything that’s inaccurate, let us know at notification@afar.com. AFAR participates in affiliate marketing programs which means we may earn a commission if you purchase an item featured on our site.© 2025 AFAR LLC please first agree to the privacy policy below.The latest domestically designed and built 600-ton class Coast Guard Administration (CGA) vessel was formally launched by Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) in Kaohsiung on Sunday as part of Taiwan's efforts to beef up its coastal patrol capabilities amid rising tensions with China (Full text of the story is now in CNA English news archive. To view the full story, you will need to be a subscribed member of the CNA archive. To subscribe, please read here.) Prof. Joseph Fewsmith of the Frederick S Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University believes  that the conviction of former China security strongman Zhou Yongkang is one more major milestone in President Xi Jinping’s consolidation of power but the care with which this trial was conducted is indicative of how “messy” this process can be Fewsmith was quoted in the Agence France‑Presse (AFP) report as saying that Zhou’s downfall “marks a major milestone in Xi’s consolidation of power,” but also adding that “(party) elders would have had to agree with the verdict.” This has meant that the internal political costs for the Chinese President are not insignificant, particularly in the aftermath of the earlier trial of Bo Xilai. One result was that unlike Bo Xilai, the trial of Zhou Yongkang was behind closed doors. The reason, according to Fewsmith, as quoted in Financial Times is: “The Bo Xilai trial ended up being very messy from the party’s point of view… It had no desire to repeat that exercise as good as it would have been for advertising the ‘rule of law’.” Read the full news reports here: AFP and Financial Times More on Prof. Joseph Fewsmith here View all posts Zhejiang's first agricultural and forestry equipment professional exhibition the First China Southern Hills Agriculture Machinery Expo and China (Yongkang) International Agricultural and Forestry Equipment Expo opens at the Yongkang International Convention and Exhibition Center with the theme of 'Innovation Yongkang is an important agricultural machinery production base in China with more than 1,650 agricultural machinery enterprises and an annual output value of over 22 billion yuan and export volume of over 600 million US dollars Yongkang has basically formed a complete agricultural machinery equipment industrial chain from research and development design to production and manufacturing and from the purchase of production factors to product sales Among the 15 major categories of agricultural machinery equipment and 4 major categories of forestry equipment in the national classification standards Yongkang products involve 12 major categories and have the production capacity of more than 90% of supporting products in order to build an 'agricultural machinery capital of China and a world-renowned agricultural machinery city' Yongkang has vigorously implemented the agricultural machinery industry chain strengthening and supplementing project accelerated the construction of high-standard agricultural machinery industrial clusters issued several opinions supporting the development of the agricultural machinery industry and introduced talents scientific and technological innovation and 'first machine (set) ' development rewards and other related policies to stimulate agricultural machinery enterprises to grow stronger Yongkang has gathered more than 500 agricultural machinery research and development personnel developed and produced more than 20 agricultural machinery solved more than 30 technical difficulties Yongkang's forestry machinery science and technology innovation and industrial development are also among the best in the country Yongkang's forestry machinery industry has shifted from simple imitation low-end manufacturing and low automation to independent research and development It has shifted from high energy consumption low cost and high growth to low energy consumption Yongkang has more than 1,600 forestry machinery complete sets of products and component manufacturing enterprises with the ability to supply the full chain of forestry machinery products and components The products cover five categories including forestry gardening and biomass energy conversion machinery The annual output of electric gardening tools alone reaches 28.98 million units accounting for 1/4 and 1/3 of the country's total output and exports respectively the National Forestry Machinery Science and Technology Innovation Park settled in Yongkang The total planned area of the Innovation Park is 6,750 mu with a total investment of over 5 billion yuan The first phase of the park mainly includes agricultural and forestry machinery testing center exhibition center and forestry machinery research institute the exhibition center and forestry machinery research institute buildings have entered the internal wall decoration stage; Jinlanling Apartments have completed 45% of the total project volume; agricultural and forestry machinery testing center and forestry smart valley have entered the ground construction stage the Innovation Park will become a new forestry machinery innovation highland technological talent gathering highland and forestry machinery industrial cluster highland facing the world serving the whole country and leading Zhejiang It will become an important window for China and even international agricultural forestry and grass equipment innovation R&D and advanced manufacturing industry gathering It is reported that this expo will set up 5 exhibition halls including agricultural machinery comprehensive hall grain and oil crops and intelligent manufacturing machinery hall fruit and vegetable tea bacteria and forestry machinery hall as well as scientific research achievement exhibition and outdoor demonstration area The total exhibition area will reach 50,000 square meters with 266 booths and more than 300 participating enterprises including the China Southern Hills Agricultural Machinery Industry Development Conference and the 2023 National Forestry Machinery Innovation Development Conference Experts and senior technical personnel in the industry will be invited to share practical product cases and present the development status of the industry in multiple forms Media contactPublicity Department of Yongkang Municipal CommitteeEmail: heyn@8531.cnTel: +86 15857143688Website: http://www.8531.cn SOURCE: Publicity Department of Yongkang Municipal Committee his fate was a magnet for speculation about factional struggles at the top of the party hierarchy But at the centre of the investigation is a familiar story: the life and career of his 42-year-old son Zhou Bin a wealthy investor whose ascent seems to embody the tight relationship between money and power at the top of the party elite On Tuesday, the Chinese independent magazine Caijing reported that Zhou has been formally arrested for "involvement in illegal business operations" by the procuratorate in Yichang a prefecture-level city in eastern China's Hubei province Authorities had detained the younger Zhou as he was leaving Singapore for the US in December While initial accounts claimed that Zhou was simply aiding the investigation into his father a raft of brazen state media reports this spring suggested that he was under investigation himself as his father – the head of China's domestic security until he retired in 2012 – was beginning to build a career in the country's state-owned oil industry He moved to Texas in 1993 to attend university; there occupied a multimillion-pound villa in the city's north-eastern suburbs Zhou Jr reportedly owns property in California Although his holdings range from hydropower to real estate most of his companies produce equipment for the oil industry China's anti-corruption authorities detained scores of the elder Zhou's family members over the past year, as they expanded their inquiries. According to a New York Times investigation in April a daughter-in-law and the son's father-in-law," all of whom had apparently used Zhou's political clout for financial gain Although Zhou Bin appears less severe than his perennially unsmiling father – he wears wire-framed glasses and coiffed hair – he "often acted as if the security apparatus commanded by his father was available for his personal use," anonymous sources told the Financial Times last autumn Zhou is not the only family member of a top government official to strike it rich – in 2012, Bloomberg found that current president Xi Jinping's family amassed millions of dollars in assets; a New York Times expose concluded that former premier Wen Jiabao's family had £1.68bn Yet Zhou Bin's case was unique for the vim with which Chinese media reported it, reflecting a high-level campaign to discredit his family. In March, the state-run Beijing News linked him to a major public housing scandal. The independent magazine Caixin explored his business dealings with a Sichuanese mafia boss. According to an exposé in the Beijing News, Zhou acquired the rights to a neighborhood renovation project through his university roommate, Mi Xiaodong; he then "transferred the project to professional real estate companies for profit". Graft investigators detained Mi in October. Caixin looked into Zhou's alleged connections to Liu Han, a Sichuan mining tycoon and "mafia style" gang leader, charged late last month with murder. Liu purchased tourism assets from Zhou at inflated prices more than a decade ago to win his favour, the magazine reported. 2014 12:10 AM ESTChinese billionaire Liu Han once donated money for the construction of a primary school in his native Sichuan province Because the building withstood the deadly 2008 earthquake — unlike the government’s shoddily constructed “tofu schools” that collapsed and claimed thousands of students’ lives — the mining and real-estate executive was praised by local activists may also have death on his hands — that of nine people to be exact according to Chinese prosecutors who have now charged the Sichuan businessman and his “alleged gang members” for murder State-run news agency Xinhua, published sensational details of Liu’s case on Feb just as he was making forays into taking over an Australian mining firm Liu is accused of having run a “mafia-style gang” that terrorized Sichuan since 1993 by stealing land from farmers and killing those who dared oppose him Xinhua quoted one purported henchman’s confession: “Nothing happened to me after the killing and that made me bolder and more unscrupulous.” the Chinese public is enthralled by Liu’s connection to Zhou Yongkang the grim-faced former Chinese security czar who retired in 2012 after ascending to the Politburo Standing Committee the top rank of the Chinese Communist Party Rumors about Zhou’s possible indiscretions have circulated for months aides and associates have been picked up by the government’s corruption-hunters The targeted officials and businessmen largely come from three of Zhou’s former power bases: Sichuan province where Zhou was party boss from 1999-2002; the state-run oil industry before he took over at the Ministry of Land and Resources; and the nation’s public-security apparatus ran until he retired because of his advanced age the net around Zhou appeared to tighten further as the vice minister of public security according to a statement by China’s State Council who was placed under investigation in December for “serious disciplinary violations,” helped run China’s internal-security apparatus which receives more public funding that the nation’s military Beijing municipality’s top security official Liang Ke was also officially relieved of his duties As for mining tycoon Liu, Chinese business magazine Caixin reported on Feb 21 that the chairman of Sichuan Hanlong Group was a “close business partner” of Zhou Bin an oil and gas bigwig who may now be under detention himself The Caixin article detailed how Liu and Zhou apparently partnered on questionable tourism and power deals is the “son of a former top leader.” The Chinese magazine which must endure a certain amount of government censorship Although Liu’s media profile was low before his detention last year corruption-watchers say that his behavior made him infamous even among entrepreneurs believed to have links with the underworld “I had heard about him before,” says Guo Yukuan a writer on corruption issues and founder of the Open Commercial Thinking Forum in Beijing “He is the sort of person who would throw a wine bottle at a celebrity’s head at public occasions if he was not happy [Few] could be so unruly for so many years Not many could reach the scale he reached.” While others connected to Zhou have been accused of corruption and abuse of power the charges Liu faces as a murderous mafioso are even more serious a professor of political science and East Asian studies at Guilford College in North Carolina believes that the progress on Liu’s case could presage an announcement on Zhou’s fate “Liu’s case is a huge breakthrough,” says Guo, who has an upcoming article in the China Quarterly on how the Chinese Communist Party tries to control corruption through disciplinary agencies that themselves lack independence “If you want to talk about corruption China’s President Xi Jinping has unveiled a campaign to tackle official graft promising to catch both low-ranking “flies” and high-level “tigers.” The campaign appears to be delving deeper into the halls of power than previous efforts by other Chinese leaders the way [Chinese officials] thought was as long as you are loyal to the party it’s okay if you are corrupt,” says Guo who adds that both leftist and conservative elements in the party now are being targeted “Xi’s administration has set up a clear boundary and rules for his anti-corruption campaign.” another Communist Party high-flyer and former Chongqing party chief was sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery Bo was yet another associate of Zhou’s and his sentencing capped the most scandalous political affair in China for decades of the Politburo Standing Committee to be punished since the Cultural Revolution how could his alleged crimes in Sichuan have gone undetected for so long The official People’s Daily opined in a Feb 21 editorial that Liu must have had a protective security “umbrella” shielding him from investigation The Communist Party’s mouthpiece did not specify who might have been holding that umbrella although the paper did suggest that details would “be revealed as investigations into Liu’s case continue.” Meanwhile to ridicule such careful official media commentary Who was the party chief of Sichuan when Liu Han violated the law?” wrote one Weibo user referring to Zhou’s tenure in that province “Is the central government blind and dumb?” where so many political and business heads have rolled as well as the nearby megalopolis of Chongqing Wang Kang is a commentator who was one of the few public figures to speak out publicly after the downfall of Bo “How come gangsters’ heads from Sichuan and Chongqing are treated more severely than those from Guangdong Shanghai and the Northeast?” he said to TIME they shouldn’t need to bother with small players like Liu Han then all his entourage should follow.” Such a fate for China’s former security chief could well be the final act —with reporting by Chengcheng Jiang and Gu Yongqiang / Beijing Contact us at letters@time.com Bitter Winter A magazine on religious liberty and human rights 05/24/2022 A+ | A- Tenzin Delek Rinpoche (from Weibo) and Zhou Yongkang (credits).In January this year, Bitter Winter reported about the persecution of the relatives of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche the charismatic Tibetan monk from Sichuan who was accused of “terrorism” and sentenced to death in 2002 his death protest was commuted into life imprisonment who did not believe the official explanation of “heart failure,” and claimed the monk had been killed Zhou called for replacing monastery education with enrollment of Tibetan-speaking children in the official Chinese school system It was generally acknowledged that the quality of the education might be favorably compared to public schools and that its leaders were Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and his assistant Lobsang Dhondup They were both sentenced to death after a trial in Chengdu in 2002 Zhou’s speeches shows his implacable hostility to those who operated private Tibetan schools that Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was framed through a false terrorist attack to get rid of his educational institutions he continued to unofficially rule Sichuan from Beijing through a clique of proteges Bonhams auctions the collection and archives of Sir Basil Gould a British diplomat who was there when the 14th Dalai Lama was enthroned in 1940 38-year-old Losel was charged with sharing information about Tibet with foreigners Statements of solidarity in the name of friendship with “the Chinese people” just send the wrong message the 14th Dalai Lama may consider self-emanating when he is still alive appointing a successor and recognizing him as his “emanation.” CESNURVia Confienza 1910121 TorinoItalyinfo@bitterwinter.org Copyright © 2025 · Bitter Winter · PRIVACY POLICY· COOKIE POLICY NEW: Zhou arrested as part of corruption probe Zhou Yongkang was a member of the ruling Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee He's the highest-ranking official to get caught up in President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign A look at the extensive business interests of Zhou Yongkang after the former security chief was placed under formal investigation shattering the decades-old political taboo of not prosecuting the highest ranking Communist Party officials for corruption Former politburo member also faces trial for abuse of power and leaking state secrets as Xi Jinping’s crackdown on alleged corruption finds its biggest target yet Chinese authorities have formally charged former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang with bribery abuse of power and intentional disclosure of state secrets It paves the way for a trial that underscores Beijing’s commitment to fighting graft at the highest levels is by far the highest-profile figure caught up in president Xi Jinping’s crackdown on corruption He is the most senior Chinese official to be ensnared in a graft scandal since the party swept to power in 1949 Zhou was a member of the politburo standing committee – China’s apex of power – and held the post of security tsar until he retired in 2012 His case was transferred to a court in the northern city of Tianjin on Friday but state media said last month that China would hold an “open trial” in an attempt to show transparency Last year, China said it had arrested Zhou and expelled him from the ruling Communist Party, accusing him of crimes ranging from accepting bribes to leaking state secrets. It also said his case had been handed over to judicial authorities. Retired legislators and lawyers have said many of the previous abuses to the rule of law in China can be attributed to Zhou. After climbing the ranks of the state oil sector, he moved into politics in 1998, finally becoming security chief where he expanded his role into one of the most powerful and controversial fiefdoms in the one-party government. It has not been possible to reach Zhou, who was last seen in public in October 2013, for comment. Read moreSources with ties to the Chinese leadership have previously told Reuters that Xi has been determined to bring down Zhou for allegedly plotting appointments to retain influence ahead of the party congress in November 2012 Xi has made fighting pervasive graft a central theme of his administration and has promised to go after “tigers“ as well as those of lower rank who are implicated in corruption Zhou joined the politburo standing committee in 2007 while also heading the central political and legal affairs committee a sprawling body that oversees law-and-order policy The security apparatus he ran expanded during his watch and consumed a budget that exceeded the official figure for military spending He quickly earned the enmity of Chinese dissidents Xi has broken with an unwritten understanding that members of the politburo would not come under such scrutiny after retirement who at the time was Chinese Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee member in charge of security attends a plenary session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing The central committee of China's Communist Party placed a former top-ranking official under investigation on Tuesday China's state-run news agency Xinhua says Zhou Yongkang is accused of "serious disciplinary violation." NPR's Anthony Kuhn tells our Newscast unit that while there is no specificity to those charges from the party this usually implies that criminal corruption charges will follow Zhou was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee security and intelligence services," Anthony reports many of Zhou's family members and former subordinates have been detained on suspicion of corruption raising expectations that Zhou would soon fall As The New York Times points out Zhou is the "most serious party figure ever to face a formal graft inquiry," and that it is an "audacious move" by Chinese President Xi Jingping to "impose his authority" over a "potentially dangerous adversary with ties to more senior retired figures." Zhou has been secretive and unconfirmed by the government although known among party insiders and reported abroad "Charges against Mr. Zhou could well center on the fortunes made by members of his family, often in sectors once under his sway. An investigation by The New York Times showed that Mr a sister-in-law and his son's mother-in-law held assets worth some $1 billion much of it in the oil and gas sector that was Mr where he could shape decisions and promotions That estimate was based on publicly available records and a limited assessment of their companies' value and did not include real estate or overseas assets which are more difficult to identify and assess." Xinhua reports that Central Committee of the Communist Party of China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection will conduct the investigation On All Things Considered NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports: "Zhou's investigation would appear to be a watershed moment China's rulers have largely been above the law "But Beijing University political scientist Zhang Jian cautions that Communist party boss Xi Jinping can't rewrite all the rules with his anti-graft drive single-handedly change the tradition,' Zhang said 'But Xi Jinping tried to play with that concept to establish a strongman image for himself.' "Xi's anti-corruption drive has snared 25,000 officials in the first half of this year including the country's former top-ranked military official "They also include many of Zhou Yongkang's relatives some of whom have reportedly amassed vast fortunes." Become an NPR sponsor sources told Reuters.Although prosecutors charged Zhou on April 3 with intentional disclosure of state secrets the link to Bo has not previously been made public a charismatic politician and one-time rising star within the ruling Communist Party was jailed for corruption and abuse of power in 2013.Sources with ties to the Chinese leadership said Zhou stood accused of tipping off Bo that he was about to be sacked in early 2012 as party boss of the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing and a member of the decision-making politburo."Zhou Yongkang told Bo Xilai about the central leadership's decision to bring him down," one of the sources said requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the case.Neither the state prosecutor's office the cabinet information office nor the party's graft watchdog the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection responded to requests for comment.Prosecutors also charged Zhou with bribery and abuse of power although they have given no details about one of the most dramatic scandals to hit China since the Communist revolution in 1949.No date has been set for Zhou's trial although the sources said authorities would likely appoint a lawyer for him Zhou has not been seen in public since October 2013 It has not been possible for Reuters to reach him for comment.Before Bo's downfall Zhou had recommended that Bo succeed him as domestic security chief on the party's Politburo Standing Committee - the apex of power in China - sources with direct knowledge of the matter have previously told Reuters.They have also said President Xi Jinping was determined to bring down Zhou for plotting such appointments to try to retain influence after the party's 18th Congress in November 2012 when Xi took over the party and Zhou retired from the standing committee."With knowledge of his impending ouster Bo could have absconded abroad or sought political asylum at an embassy," a second source with leadership ties said adding this would have complicated the case against Bo.The sources said they did not know if Bo had contemplated fleeing China They also did not say how or why Zhou tipped off Bo who could have already been under surveillance.Bo disappeared from public view around the same time he was sacked from his senior party positions.Li Guifang a lawyer who represented Bo during his trial declined to comment when reached by Reuters and asked about the connection between the two men.MURDER SCANDALBo's career nosedived after his wife Gu Kailai was implicated in the 2011 murder of a British businessman She was given a suspended death sentence in 2012.That scandal came to light after Bo's estranged police chief unsuccessfully sought political asylum at the U.S consulate in the southwestern city of Chengdu in early 2012.Wang said at his trial that he fell out with Bo over what to do about the murder Wang was jailed for trying to cover up the killing abuse of power and bribe-taking.Under Chinese law Zhou's crimes are punishable by death sources and legal experts said.Zhou could be sentenced to death but it might be suspended because of his age and if he showed remorse said the first source with leadership ties.The party usually determines verdicts in high-profile trials ahead of time experts say.UNDER PLA GUARDZhou will face trial in the northern port city of Tianjin near Beijing.A source close to the military and the first source with leadership ties said Zhou was being guarded in Tianjin by People's Liberation Army soldiers instead of police in case elements of the civilian force were still loyal to him.As security tsar The senior leadership deemed his portfolio too powerful and downgraded it at the 18th Congress sources have said.Authorities have seized assets worth at least 90 billion yuan ($14 billion) from Zhou's family members and associates sources have said."The wealth his clique amassed rivaled that of (some developing) countries," the second source with leadership ties said.Zhou's alleged crimes took place over decades including when he was vice president of state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) minister of public security and a member of the standing committee prosecutors said this month.CNPC has publicly backed the government's decision to investigate Zhou A company spokesman said he had nothing further to add.Editing by Dean Yates This article was first published by Tea Leaf Nation likewise detailing that once-formidable Zhou had allegedly accepted huge bribes Xinhua said the decision to expel Zhou had been finalized at a Friday meeting of the Political Bureau of the Party’s Central Committee The decision probably could have been announced sooner couched in the euphemism of “stability maintenance”—his fall probably isn’t something China wants to headline on a Monday It betrays severe corruption at the highest levels of the Party including the Politburo Standing Committee and hints at factional rivalries behind the scenes while Zhou’s ouster might be a positive move for the long-term health of the Party it also has the potential to anger the public by lifting the curtain on the perks of Party life and the extent of government power airing with Rui’s chair empty and his microphone still in place Zhou came from more humble origins and rose in the Party ranks via the oil industry His flinty toughness helped him elbow his way to the top where he oversaw China’s police and courts His takedown is historic; it marks the first time someone has faced criminal investigation for corruption after serving on the Politburo Standing Committee a group of seven (previously nine during Zhou’s time) that essentially runs China Chinese President Xi Jinping extended his influence and consolidated power with help from the sweeping anti-corruption campaign he launched shortly after ascending to the Party’s top spot in November 2012 The former chief of China's security apparatus is being investigated for using China's state television station as a personal harem, as president Xi Jinping continues conducts his anti-corruption drive. Until his retirement last year, Zhou Yongkang, 71, was the head of China's police, judiciary, foreign and domestic intelligence services. Zhou has been under house arrest since December, and has been linked with a series of glamorous broadcasters since his wife died in a suspicious car accident in 2008. According to Hong Kong magazine Da Shi Jian (Great Events), citing party sources, five presenters from China's state-run CCTV station have been questioned over their relationship with Zhou. Zhou's womanising allegedly led him to form a close relationship with Li Dongsheng, 58, the deputy chief at CCTV, who introduced him to a number of young female presenters. Li was arrested last December, having been made vice-minister of public security by Zhou, despite having no background in law enforcement. "Everyone at CCTV feels in danger and more than 100 staff have been placed under investigation," the article said. Other women Among those who allegedly caught Zhou's eye were Shen Bing, 37, a financial reporter who asked for Zhou's help when one of her husband's property development projects ran into trouble. According to the report, Zhou arranged for a provincial Communist party chief to buy the development for state use. Shen has been detained for questioning and has not been seen since last year, claims the magazine. Among the other women is Jia Xiaoye, 43, niece of former president Jiang Zemin, who went on to become Zhou's second wife, and Wang Xiaoya, 44, a sports presenter married to Cao Jianming, China's top prosecutor. As head of the judiciary, Cao is believed to have worked closely with Zhou, and has been questioned by party officials over his dealings with Zhou. Zhou was a one-time associate and patron of disgraced party official Bo Xilai, who was jailed for corruption. It is believed that Zhou attempted to shield Bo from prosecution, and opposed Xi's rise to power. Oil scandal Zhou's eldest son, Zhou Bin, and other relatives have also been detained in an investigation into an alleged £10 billion scam relating to Zhou's time as head of of the state-run China National Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiary Petro China. The party's central committee for disciplinary inspection is also investigating claims that Zhou's henchmen may have arranged the 2008 car crash that killed his first wife. Both drivers, members of the People's armed Police, were given 10-year sentences for their role in the crash, but were freed within a year and given senior roles in Zhou's petroleum companies. High ranking officials from Zhou's time as governor of Sichuan have also been questioned. Though some observers believe that Xi wants to bring Zhou to trial to showcase his commitment to rooting out party corruption, other senior officials have reportedly expressed concern that the amount of money Zhou managed to embezzle will paint the party in too poor a light to warrant public exposure. © Copyright IBTimes 2025. All rights reserved. BEIJING (AP) - Chinese authorities announced at midnight Saturday that they have arrested Zhou Yongkang, a former member of the all-powerful standing committee of the ruling Communist Party's Politburo, on charges ranging from taking bribes to adultery and leaking state secrets. Copyright © 2025, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Inc. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Chattanooga Times Free Press, Inc. Zhou Yongkang was among the most-feared and powerful, but now the former security minister is arrested and expelled from the Communist party. He’s charged with abusing power, taking bribes and leaking party and government secrets. CCTV America interviewed Victor Gao for more analysis on Yongkang’s expulsion. Gao is a current affairs commentator in Beijing. 2014 11:04 AM ESTChinese authorities arrested the nation’s former security czar Zhou Yongkang once considered the most feared man in China 5–the first ever arrest of a member of the nation’s ruling Politburo Standing Committee The 72-year-old Zhou was also expelled from the Chinese Communist Party Zhou’s suspected rapsheet is extensive “The [party’s] investigation found that Zhou seriously violated the Party’s political organizational and confidentiality discipline He took advantage of his posts to seek profits for others and accepted huge bribes personally and through his family mistresses and friends make huge profits from operating businesses resulting in serious losses of state-owned assets Zhou leaked the Party’s and country’s secrets He seriously violated self-disciplinary regulations and accepted a large amount of money and properties personally and through his family Zhou committed adultery with a number of women and traded his power for sex and money.” who retired from the Standing Committee in 2012 due to age limits Dozens of his known associates and underlings were arrested in three of his previous spheres of influence: the nation’s domestic security apparatus which received more official funding than the Chinese military did; the highly lucrative state-owned oil industry; and the populous province of Sichuan a former Zhou political acolyte and ex-chief of Chongqing municipality was sentenced to life imprisonment for corruption and other crimes the party had placed Zhou under formal investigation for “serious disciplinary violations,” a codeword for corruption It was quite the comedown for a man who once controlled the nation’s panopticon state security machine China’s President Xi Jinping has unleashed an anti-graft campaign that has resulted in thousands of arrests of government officials Xi famously promised to nab both “tigers and flies,” high-ranking leaders and the lowliest of communist cadres Xinhua reiterated how Zhou’s alleged misdeeds affected the sanctity of the Chinese Communist Party: “His behaviors badly undermined the reputation of the Party significantly damaged the cause of the Party and the people and have yielded serious consequences.” if past political investigations are any indication But it’s still going to take a lot more than midnight announcements to convince a skeptical public that graft won’t flourish in China’s future Zhou Yongkang became the most senior official to be ensnared in China's anti-corruption campaign Are other senior officials worried that they may become the next target True reform will take a lot more than laying graft charges on individuals Digital access for organisations. Includes exclusive features and content. See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times. Chinese authorities arrested the once-feared ex-security chief Zhou Yongkang and launched a criminal investigation Saturday on charges ranging from adultery and bribery to leaking state secrets after expelling him from the Communist Party overnight pave the way for a trial of the most senior figure so far to be ensnared in President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption crackdown and appear to seal the downfall of a formerly powerful politician once considered a potent rival for Xi is the highest-level official to be prosecuted since the 1981 treason trial of Mao Zedong’s wife and other members of the “Gang of Four” who persecuted political opponents during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution Although the case against Zhou has been touted by state media as another example of the party’s determination to fight corruption regardless of one’s rank some analysts say it is part of factional politics in the ruling party’s uppermost echelon “The fundamental issue remains the power struggle,” Beijing-based historian and independent political observer Zhang Lifan said The announcement past midnight on a weekend is a sign that the party leadership wants to downplay its impact An allegation that Zhou leaked state secrets may give authorities a reason to close the trial and keep dirty politics under the wraps Thornton China Center at Washington-based think-tank Brookings said the prosecution against Zhou was a genuine effort by Beijing to root out corruption to rebuild the party’s image Zhou had been under the party’s internal investigation for “severe disciplinary violations” — a phrase is usually used to describe corruption — since last December a year after he retired as a Standing Committee member of the party’s Politburo “He abused his power to help relatives resulting in serious losses of state-owned assets,” the official Xinhua News Agency said The party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a statement posted online that the decision to expel Zhou was made Friday at a meeting of the 25-member Politburo Shortly after the expulsion was made public early Saturday prosecutors announced Zhou’s formal arrest and opened a criminal case against him The investigation had found that Zhou had “seriously violated the Party’s political organizational and confidentiality discipline,” Xinhua said “Zhou leaked the Party’s and country’s secrets,” the Xinhua report went on to say without revealing what he might have leaked “He seriously violated self-disciplinary regulations and accepted a large amount of money and properties personally and through his family Any trial would be expected to have a foregone conclusion with Zhou’s conviction because the outcomes of such high-profile trials are widely believed to be negotiated among top leaders ahead of time Li of Brookings said Zhou would either get life imprisonment or a suspended death sentence A line in the official report that investigators discovered other unspecified crimes indicates Beijing could be negotiating for Zhou’s cooperation during the trial Former members of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee had long been considered off-limits for prosecution in an unwritten rule aimed at preserving party unity But Xi vowed to go after both low- and high-level officials in his campaign to purge the party of corruption and other wrongdoing that have undermined its legitimacy in the public eye “What Zhou did completely deviated from the Party’s nature and mission His behaviors badly undermined the reputation of the Party and have yielded serious consequences,” the report said with expansive patronage networks covering the sprawling southwestern province of Sichuan where he was once party boss and controlled the state oil sector he oversaw the country’s domestic spy agencies a position that afforded him access to information on other high-ranking politicians who might pose a threat to him Zhou was born the son of an eel fisherman in a little-known eastern village the eldest of three boys and the only one to attend university according to financial news magazine Caixin He spent the early part of his career in the oil sector rising through the ranks over several decades to become the general manager of China National Petroleum Corp. one of the world’s biggest energy companies He then served as party chief of Sichuan province between 1999 and 2002 and became a Politburo Standing Committee member and the national security chief in 2007 Critics have said policies and practices introduced by Zhou including indiscriminate crackdowns and harsh measures to preserve social stability have trampled on laws and sabotaged China’s fledgling legal system But it is almost certain Zhou will not be held accountable for such offenses “I believe authorities may want to put less political emphasis on Zhou’s case and want to handle it as a criminal case,” said Hong Daode professor of criminal justice at China University of Political Science and Law Associated Press researcher Henry Hou 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