Sha Linmao, the Vice Mayor of Beijing, is under investigation for serious disciplinary violations and legal allegations, confirmed on October 22 by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission.
The investigation was announced on the commission's website, although specific details regarding the violations have not been disclosed.
Born in 1970, Sha is a native of Jiangsu Province and holds a Ph.D. in architectural engineering from Tsinghua University. He was elected as a candidate member of the Central Committee during the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2022 and also serves as a representative in the National People's Congress.
Sha has been involved in urban planning in Beijing since 2008, having served as the Secretary of the Shijingshan District, the Secretary of Miyun District, and the Secretary of Dongcheng District. He was promoted to Vice Mayor in 2023, overseeing the city's commercial affairs.
The news of Sha's investigation comes ahead of the fifth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party, scheduled to take place from October 26 for four days. Following the National Day holiday, there has been a series of high-ranking officials being investigated, indicating an intensified anti-corruption campaign ahead of the plenary session. On October 13, it was announced that Huang Qifan, a prominent economic official and former mayor of Chongqing, is also under investigation for serious disciplinary and legal violations.
The China Analysis Center at the Asia Society, a U.S. think tank, recently projected that the purging of high-ranking officials in the Chinese leadership could lead to the lowest participation rate of central committee members and candidate members in history, estimated at around 77% for this upcoming plenary session.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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