China’s top anti-graft authorities have launched a formal investigation into Wang Xiangxi, the sitting Minister of Emergency Management, for suspected serious violations of disciplinary and legal standards. The probe is being conducted jointly by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Supervisory Commission, the country’s highest anti-corruption bodies.
Wang, 61, has held his ministerial position since September 2022 after being appointed Party Secretary of the ministry in July of the same year. His career spans decades in both the coal industry and government service. A native of Xiantao in Hubei province, Wang began his professional journey after graduating from the Jiaozuo Mining Institute in Henan province, rising through the ranks of the coal sector before transitioning to government leadership roles.
Prior to his emergency management appointment, Wang served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Hubei Provincial Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission in 2017. The investigation comes as part of President Xi Jinping’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign that has targeted officials at all levels of government and state-owned enterprises.
The Ministry of Emergency Management, established in 2018, holds crucial responsibilities including disaster response, industrial safety oversight, and earthquake administration. Wang’s investigation marks one of the highest-profile corruption cases involving a sitting cabinet minister in recent years, reflecting the continued intensity of China’s anti-graft efforts.