China’s minister of emergency management, Wang Xiangxi, is under investigation for suspected “serious violations of discipline and law,” the country’s top anti-graft agency announced Saturday, marking one of the rare cases of a sitting cabinet minister being targeted in President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the Communist Party’s powerful internal watchdog, disclosed the probe in a brief statement without providing details of the alleged misconduct. Wang, who also serves as a Communist Party secretary, becomes one of the highest-ranking civilian officials to face investigation in the current phase of China’s anti-graft drive.
The case underscores the expanding scope of Xi’s long-running corruption crackdown, which has increasingly reached senior figures across government, the military, state-owned enterprises, and academia. According to official figures, Chinese authorities launched a record 65 investigations into high-ranking officials last year, signaling an intensified enforcement push.
Wang, 63, has led the Ministry of Emergency Management since July 2022. Before taking office, he served as chairman of the state-owned power giant National Energy Investment Corp., one of China’s largest energy conglomerates.
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Just days before the announcement, Wang appeared publicly at a routine internal meeting of ministry officials, where cadres engage in self-criticism sessions, according to an official release from the Ministry of Emergency Management. The sudden investigation highlights the speed and secrecy that often characterize disciplinary actions in China’s political system.
The CCDI described the allegations using the standard phrase “serious violations of discipline and law,” language widely understood in China to refer to corruption and related abuses of power.
The probe into Wang comes amid a wider purge of senior officials. Last week, China’s defense ministry announced an investigation into Zhang Youxia, the country’s top general and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, who ranks second only to President Xi in the military leadership hierarchy.
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Earlier this month, Xi reaffirmed that the anti-corruption campaign remains a top priority, saying the fight against corruption is a “battle China must not lose,” according to state media reports.
Authorities have also expanded scrutiny beyond political leaders to include former executives of state-owned enterprises and senior university officials, reflecting a broader effort to reinforce party discipline across key institutions.
Separately, the anti-graft watchdog also announced an investigation into Sun Shaocheng, the former Communist Party secretary of China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, according to state-owned outlet China Daily, adding to a growing list of senior officials under review.