China’s corruption watchdog probing Emergency Management Minister

China’s Minister of Emergency Management, Wang Xiangxi, ‍is being investigated for suspected “serious ​violations of discipline and law,” a ‌common euphemism for corruption, the ​anti-graft watchdog said on Saturday (January 31, 2026) as a purge of senior officials continues.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection did not provide details in its statement on Wang, a Communist Party secretary. ​It is relatively rare for ⁠a sitting Minister to undergo investigation.

In President Xi Jinping’s years-long corruption purge, the Defence Ministry ​announced last week ⁠it was investigating the nation’s top general, Zhang Youxia, who is second only to Xi in the military ‌leadership.

Mr. Xi said this month that ‌anti-corruption is a battle China must not lose, following a ‍record 65 probes into high-ranking officials last year, while scrutiny has expanded ‍to former leaders of universities and state-owned enterprises.

Mr. Wang, 63, took office in July 2022, after serving as chairman of state-owned power generator National Energy Investment Corp.

He appeared on Tuesday, speaking at a regular internal meeting where cadres ⁠engage in self-criticism, according to an official release from the Ministry ​of Emergency Management.

The corruption watchdog announced ⁠an investigation into Sun Shaocheng, the former Party secretary of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, according to state-owned media China Daily.