Beijing Targets Veteran Bureaucrat in Year’s First High-Level Probe
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China’s top anticorruption agency said Monday it has opened an investigation into Tian Xuebin, a former vice minister of water resources, marking the first high-level official to fall in the country’s unrelenting graft crackdown in 2026.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said in a brief statement that Tian is suspected of “serious violations of discipline and law,” a standard euphemism used by the Communist Party to describe corruption and political misconduct. He is currently cooperating with a disciplinary review and supervisory investigation.
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- Tian Xuebin, former vice minister of water resources, is under investigation for suspected corruption, marking the first senior official targeted in China's 2026 anticorruption drive.
- Tian had a decades-long career, holding key central and provincial government roles, and remained publicly active after retiring in 2023.
- His detention highlights the ongoing anticorruption efforts that have brought down thousands of officials since 2012, continuing a major political campaign under Xi Jinping.
- December 1963：
- Tian Xuebin was born in Huining, Gansu province.
- 1984：
- Tian Xuebin joined the Communist Party of China.
- From 1992 to 2008：
- Tian served as a secretary in the General Office of the Central Committee and the State Council.
- July 2015：
- Tian was appointed vice minister of water resources.
- 2021：
- Tian led a task force to Shaanxi province to inspect rural water security and spearheaded a campaign to regulate small hydropower stations along the Yellow River basin.
- Late 2023：
- Tian retired from his post as vice minister of water resources.
- January 2, 2024：
- Investigation of Zhong Ziran, former head of the China Geological Survey, was announced.
- January 17, 2025：
- Investigation of Zhang Tianfeng, former deputy head of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, was announced.
- November 2025：
- People’s Daily published Tian's suggestions on legislating rural water supplies.
- December 9, 2025：
- Tian published a signed article in a political advisory newspaper urging high-quality development of rural water infrastructure.
- January 5, 2026：
- China's top anticorruption agency announced the investigation into Tian Xuebin.
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