In a significant development in China’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign, former National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) deputy director Xu Xianping has been formally indicted on bribery charges. The Supreme People’s Procuratorate announced on Wednesday that prosecutors have completed their review and filed the case with the Chifeng Intermediate People’s Court in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The case, which was initially investigated by the National Commission of Supervision, alleges that Xu exploited multiple high-ranking positions throughout his extensive career to illicitly benefit others while accepting substantial monetary bribes and valuable assets. The prosecution asserts that the 71-year-old official should be held criminally accountable for these corruption offenses.
Xu’s impressive career trajectory, which spanned nearly five decades, included influential roles as Vice-Governor of Hunan Province, member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Hunan Provincial Committee, Deputy Head of the NDRC from 2009 to 2014, and most recently as Counselor of the State Council until 2022. According to judicial authorities, he manipulated these positions of power to facilitate improper advantages for third parties in exchange for significant financial compensation.
The legal proceedings follow Xu’s initial investigation in March 2025 by anti-corruption authorities. After eight months of intensive scrutiny, he was expelled from the Communist Party in November 2025 and subsequently transferred to prosecutorial agencies for criminal proceedings. The case has been designated to regional authorities in Chifeng under the supervision of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, demonstrating the systematic approach to handling high-profile corruption cases within China’s judicial system.
This prosecution represents another milestone in China’s comprehensive anti-graft campaign that has targeted officials at various levels of government and state-owned enterprises. The case against a former NDRC official—an institution responsible for China’s economic planning and policy formulation—highlights the continued determination to root out corruption regardless of an individual’s former status or political connections.