The first person to fall off guard after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Former Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and former Central Committee member was investigated in the evening by the National Supervisory Commission at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China
On the evening of August 28th at 9 o'clock, the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission released a heavyweight news: Recently, Sun Zhigang, former secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee, was suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and was under disciplinary review and supervision investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission.
Sun Zhigang became the second ministerial level cadre to be investigated this year after Dong Yunhu, and also the first former provincial party and government "leader" to be arrested after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
Sun Zhigang was born in May 1954 in Xingyang, Henan Province, with a PhD in Economics. Formerly served as a member of the 19th Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the Finance and Economic Committee of the 13th National People's Congress.
In his early years, Sun Zhigang was a volunteer educated youth in Xingyang County, Henan Province. Later, he became a reservoir cadre and studied steelmaking at the Metallurgical Department of Wuhan Iron and Steel University from 1973 to 1976. Later, he stayed on as a teacher. From 1980 to 1983, I pursued a master's degree in Industrial Economics at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. After graduation, I went to work at the Institute of Economics at Central South University of Finance and Economics. Since 1985, Sun Zhigang has held various positions including Deputy Director of the Wuhan Municipal Economic Commission, Deputy Director of the Wuhan Municipal Commission for Economic Reform, Deputy Director of the Wuhan Municipal Planning Commission, Deputy Secretary, Deputy District Chief, Acting District Chief, District Chief of Hanyang District, Deputy Mayor of Wuhan, Deputy Secretary and Mayor of Yichang Municipal Party Committee, Secretary of Yichang Municipal Party Committee, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Municipal People's Congress, and First Secretary of the Party Committee of Yichang Military District.
In 2002, Sun Zhigang joined the Standing Committee of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee and was promoted to the deputy ministerial level. He also served as the Secretary General of the Provincial Party Committee and the Secretary of the Provincial Government Working Committee. In 2006, he was transferred to Anhui as a member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Executive Vice Governor. Four years later, he transferred to Beijing and served as Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission and Director of the State Council Medical Reform Office. In 2013, Sun Zhigang was appointed as the Deputy Director of the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Director of the State Council Medical Reform Office, and was promoted to the ministerial level.
In October 2015, Sun Zhigang went to Guizhou to serve as the Deputy Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee, Deputy Governor, Acting Governor, and Secretary of the Provincial Government Party Group. The following year, he became the Governor of Guizhou Province. In 2017, he became the Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee and stepped down in November 2020. He served as the Vice Chairman of the Finance and Economic Committee of the 13th National People's Congress in December 2020 and stepped down in March of this year.
Sun Zhigang was the third provincial and ministerial level leading cadre to fall from grace in Guizhou Province after the closing of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. On November 27th last year, Zhou Jiankun, Vice Chairman of the Guizhou Provincial Political Consultative Conference, was investigated. On March 27th this year, Li Zaiyong, Vice Chairman of the Guizhou Provincial Political Consultative Conference, was investigated. Sun Zhigang is also the second official at the ministerial level to fall from power in Guizhou Province since the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. In February 2021, Wang Fuyu, former chairman of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was investigated. Sun Zhigang has worked together with the aforementioned individuals.