Ren Hua (Chinese: 任华; pinyin: Rén Huá; born March 1964) is a former Chinese politician who spent her entire career in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. As of June 2020 she was under investigation by the Communist Party's anti-corruption agency. Previously she served as vice-chairwoman of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.[1] Her superiors, Li Zhi and Nur Bekri, both were sacked for graft in 2015 and 2019, respectively.[2] Ren is the first senior official in Xinjiang and the fifth senior official in China to be targeted by China's top anticorruption watchdog in 2020.[3] She is also the fifth female ministerial level official in China caught since Xi Jinping's continues an anti-graft dragnet at all levels of government, military and ruling Communist Party.[4]
Ren Hua | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
任华 | |||||||
| Vice-Chairwoman of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region | |||||||
| In office January 2018 – June 2020 | |||||||
| Chairman | Shohrat Zakir | ||||||
| Personal details | |||||||
| Born | March 1964 (age 60) Yantai, Shandong, China | ||||||
| Political party | Chinese Communist Party (1984–2020; expelled) | ||||||
| Alma mater | Xinjiang University Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 任華 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 任华 | ||||||
| |||||||
Early life and education
editRen was born in Yantai, Shandong, in March 1964. In September 1982, she was accepted to Xinjiang University, where she majored in Chinese language and literature. She joined the Chinese Communist Party in November 1984. She also earned a master's degree in business administration from Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics in December 2012.
Career
editAfter university in July 1986, she was assigned as a cadre to General Office of the Party Committee of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and over a period of 20 years worked her way up to the position of deputy director. In September 2006, she became head of the Publicity Department of CCP Ürümqi Municipal Committee and chairwoman of Ürümqi Federation of Social Sciences. During her term in office, she reported to Li Zhi, who was Ürümqi's Party secretary from 2006 to 2009. She was deputy director and Party branch secretary of the Department of Culture of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in March 2013, she concurrently served as deputy director of the Publicity Department of the Party Committee of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in August 2017 and vice-chairwoman of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in January 2018.[5]
Investigation
editOn June 1, 2020, she was put under investigation for alleged "serious violations of discipline and laws" by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the party's internal disciplinary body, and the National Supervisory Commission, the highest anti-corruption agency of China.[6] Ren is the fifth senior official to be investigated in 2020. The others are former Fujian vice-governor Zhang Zhinan, former deputy public security minister Sun Lijun, former Hebei vice-governor Zhang He, and former chairman of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation Hu Wenming.[3] On November 30, she had been expelled from the Chinese Communist Party and removed from public office.[7][8][9][10] On December 16, she was arrested for suspected bribe taking as per a decision made by the Supreme People's Procuratorate.[11]
On 29 July 2021, she stood trial at the Intermediate People's Court of Suzhou on charges of taking bribes.[12] Prosecutors accused Ren of taking advantage of her different positions in Xinjiang between 2007 and 2020 to seek profits for various companies and individuals in contracting projects, enterprise operations, bank loans, job promotions and work transfers.[12] In return, she accepted money and property worth over 47.15 million yuan ($7.3 million).[12]
References
edit- ^ "Vice-chairperson of Xinjiang regional government under investigation". xinhuanet.com. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ 新疆自治区副主席任华落马 遵义市委原常委、常务副市长王祖彬出庭受审. thepaper.com (in Chinese). 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ a b William Zheng (2 June 2020). "Xinjiang propaganda official Ren Hua under corruption cloud in China". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ 新疆原副主席任华被双开，是十八大以来第五位被查女部级高官. 163.com (in Chinese). 30 November 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ Cui Jia (1 June 2020). "Former Xinjiang official under investigation, anti-corruption bodies say". chinadaily.com. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ 新疆维吾尔自治区政府副主席任华接受中央纪委国家监委纪律审查和监察调查. ccdi.gov.cn (in Chinese). 1 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ "Former vice chairperson of Xinjiang regional gov't expelled from CPC, public office". xinhuanet.com. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ "Former Xinjiang deputy chair expelled from CPC". chinadaily.com. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ 任华被“双开”！. thepaper.cn (in Chinese). 30 November 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ William Zheng (30 November 2020). "Former Xinjiang official expelled from China's Communist Party over corruption allegations". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ "Former vice chairperson of Xinjiang regional gov't arrested on suspicion of bribery". xinhuanet.com. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ a b c "Former senior official of Xinjiang stands trial for bribery". xinhuanet.com. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.