Former vice governor of Qinghai was double-opened as an umbrella for illegal coal mining

Former vice governor of Qinghai Province of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Wen Guodong, was notified of his double dismissal on Jan. 4.

On Jan. 4, Wen Guodong, a former member of the party group and vice governor of Qinghai Province, was dismissed from the party and public office. Wen Guodong fell last year, just 47 days after he was appointed vice governor of the province.

Wen Guodong was accused of doing his job perfunctorily, running a separate business, “eating coal by coal”, acting as an “umbrella” for illegal coal mining, causing the problem of illegal coal mining in the Muli mining area in Qinghai at the southern foot of the Qilian Mountains to remain unsolved; helping specific relations to greet and undertake projects, and engaging in trading in power and sex; accepting banquets arranged by private enterprises for a long time and accepting gifts in violation of the law, and illegally accepting huge amounts of money from others

The 52-year-old Wen Guodong, a native of Xining, Qinghai, has been serving in Qinghai Province, serving as secretary, deputy head of the secretary section and section head of the office of the Haidong District Committee of Qinghai Province, secretary and office director of the Haibei State Committee office, secretary of the Menyuan County Committee, standing committee member, head of the organization department and deputy governor of the Haixi State Committee. He served as Deputy Secretary of the Yushu Prefecture Party Committee from April 2010 to March 2012, and then concurrently as Secretary of the Yushu Prefecture Political and Legal Committee from March 2012 to February 2013, Secretary of the Yushu Prefecture Party Committee in Qinghai Province from February 2013 to July 2015, and was transferred to Haixi Mongolian-Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in July 2015 as Secretary of the Prefecture Party Committee and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Qaidam Circular Economy Pilot Zone in 2020 He was transferred to Qinghai Province as Vice Governor in July 2020.

After only 47 days as vice governor of Qinghai Province, Wen Guodong was notified of his fall on September 6, 2020, and was removed from office on September 25 of the same year.

Before Wen Guodong was investigated, the illegal mining in Qinghai’s Muli mine was exposed in August 2020, and a number of officials in Haixi Prefecture were subsequently investigated. Illegal mining at the site continued for 14 years, plus 17 years when related companies entered the Muli mine. During this period, those who served as governor and secretary of the CPC Qinghai Provincial Committee included Zhao Leji, Luo Huining, Qiang Wei, Wang Guosheng and Wang Jianjun, all of whom had backgrounds in Jiang Zemin’s faction.