Former Xi’an Party Chief Fang Hongwei Expelled in Anti-Corruption Drive
China’s top anti-corruption body has expelled Fang Hongwei, the former Communist Party secretary of the historic city of Xi’an, from the party and removed him from all public office for serious violations of party discipline and state laws, marking the latest high-profile downfall in Beijing’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) announced on July 7 that Fang, 60, was found to have lost his ideals and convictions, engaged in superstitious activities, resisted organizational review, and illegally accepted massive amounts of property in exchange for favors in engineering project contracting and cadre selection.
A Career Spanning Industry and Government
Fang Hongwei’s career trajectory reflects a distinctive pattern in Chinese politics: the transition from state-owned enterprise leadership to senior government posts. A native of Fuping County in Shaanxi Province, Fang graduated from Tsinghua University’s Department of Automotive Engineering in 1989 and spent 26 years at Shaanxi Automobile Group (Shaanqi), rising to become its chairman and party secretary.
He entered government in 2015, serving successively as vice mayor of Baoji, executive vice mayor of Weinan, mayor and later party secretary of Hanzhong, before being elevated to the Shaanxi Provincial Party Standing Committee in May 2021. In November 2021, he was appointed party secretary of Xi’an, the provincial capital and a city of immense historical and strategic importance as a gateway to China’s western regions and a key node in the Belt and Road Initiative.
Fang was also an alternate member of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and a delegate to the party’s 20th National Congress.
Investigation and Downfall
The investigation into Fang was announced on November 7, 2025, exactly eight months before the expulsion decision. As The Paper reported, the CCDI stated that Fang had been placed under investigation for “suspected serious discipline and law violations.”
An early warning sign had come in October 2025, when Fang was notably “skipped over” for promotion to full Central Committee membership at the 4th Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee — a development widely interpreted by Chinese and international media as a strong signal that he was under suspicion.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, citing Hong Kong’s Ming Pao, Fang was intercepted and taken away by CCDI personnel while en route to a scheduled work inspection, just two days before the official announcement of his investigation. The report also noted that the local business community was aware that Fang’s wife and sister had “big appetites,” allegedly exploiting his position for personal gain.
Detailed Charges
The CCDI’s announcement detailed a comprehensive list of violations. Fang was accused of being disloyal and dishonest toward the organization, failing to fulfill his primary responsibility for comprehensive strict party governance, interfering with inspection work, and engaging in superstitious activities. He was also found to have violated the Eight Central Regulations by improperly accepting banquets and travel arrangements, breached organizational principles by failing to report personal matters and improperly selecting and appointing cadres, and crossed the “bottom line” of integrity by accepting gifts and holding shares in unlisted companies.
Perhaps most significantly, the CCDI stated that Fang used his position to seek benefits for others in engineering project contracting and cadre selection and appointment, illegally accepting “huge amounts” of property. His case has been transferred to judicial authorities for criminal prosecution.
Broader Context and Significance
Fang’s case is part of the broader anti-corruption campaign that has been ongoing since the 18th CCP National Congress in 2012 under General Secretary Xi Jinping. His downfall is notable for several reasons.
As an alternate member of the Central Committee, Fang’s expulsion signals that the anti-corruption drive continues to reach the highest levels of the party. He was the only provincial capital city party secretary to be investigated while in office in 2025.
The case also suggests a broader cleanup in Xi’an’s political establishment. Fang’s colleague Han Song, former chairman of the Xi’an Municipal People’s Congress, was investigated in July 2025. In a striking irony noted by Chinese media, Fang himself had chaired a meeting where he urged party members to “take the case as a mirror and sound the alarm” following Han’s downfall.
The charges of family involvement — with Fang’s wife and sister allegedly exploiting his position — reflect a common pattern of “family-style corruption” in Chinese officialdom, while the accusation of taking bribes in exchange for engineering project contracts highlights one of the most prevalent corruption patterns in China’s infrastructure-heavy development model.
What’s Next
Fang’s case has been transferred to prosecutors for criminal investigation, though the specific amounts of bribes involved have not been disclosed. The expulsion from the party requires formal confirmation at a future plenary session of the Central Committee. Observers will be watching to see whether other officials in Xi’an or Shaanxi Province are implicated as the investigation continues.
Fang’s successor as Xi’an party secretary, Hao Huijie, now faces the challenge of restoring public confidence in the city’s governance as the anti-corruption campaign continues to reshape China’s political landscape.