Former Provincial Chief Expelled From Communist Party for Building Political Faction
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Lan Tianli, the former government chief of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has been expelled from the Communist Party and dismissed from public office following an investigation that accused him of building a personal political faction and taking massive bribes.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the party’s top watchdog, issued a harsh rebuke of Lan on Thursday, accusing him of abandoning his ideals and forming cliques within the party. The punishment of the 63-year-old official marks the downfall of a high-ranking provincial leader in an intensifying crackdown that has ensnared 47 senior centrally managed cadres in 2025 alone.
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- Lan Tianli, former Guangxi government chief, was expelled from the Communist Party and dismissed after being accused of forming factions and taking major bribes.
- His case is part of a broader 2025 anti-corruption crackdown that has implicated 47 senior officials and several Guangxi leaders.
- Lan’s violations included selling posts, accepting property in exchange for favors, and flouting party rules; his case has been handed to prosecutors.
- 1998：
- Lan Tianli was selected as one of 30 'cross-century' deputy department-level cadres through a public selection process.
- 2014-2016：
- Lan Tianli worked alongside Tang Renjian, who served as a senior Guangxi official during this period.
- 2020：
- Lan Tianli became Guangxi's government chairman, returning to an executive leadership position.
- April 2025：
- Jin Xiangjun, Lan Tianli's cohort, was placed under investigation.
- May 11, 2025：
- Lan Tianli attended his final public engagement at a meeting on heavy metal pollution with minister Huang Runqiu.
- May 13, 2025：
- Lan Tianli's name was omitted from the official Guangxi Daily report on the May 11 event.
- May 16, 2025：
- Authorities officially announced Lan Tianli was under investigation.
- September 2025：
- Tang Renjian was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for taking over $37 million in bribes.
- December 4, 2025：
- The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) issued a statement expelling Lan Tianli from the Communist Party and dismissing him from public office.
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