The second episode of “Severely Punishing Corruption in Government and Business Collusions” was broadcast on January 12 at 8pm on the CCTV Comprehensive Channel of the TV special film “Never Stop for a Half Step, Never Give in”, jointly produced by the Propaganda Department of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission and China Central Radio and Television Station CCTV. CCTV news new media platform broadcast simultaneously.
The fight against corruption is a tough, protracted and overall war. We must be vigilant. Under the current high-pressure anti-corruption policy, corruption involving political and business collusion has also taken on new forms and become more and more hidden. Some use others as a cover to disguise political and business collusion as market means; some retire and use their influence platform to say hello; some take a long-term view to catch big fish and create a political and business “revolving door” to cover up public opinion. Discipline inspection and supervision agencies keep a close eye on new manifestations and trends of political and business collusion and corruption, and continue to intensify the rectification of leading cadres’ illegal interference in economic activities, illegal involvement in bidding and procurement, and use of their positions or influence to benefit for personal gain for enterprises affiliated with specific related parties. They will seriously investigate and deal with false investments, entrusted holdings and other behaviors, so that political and business collusion and corruption cannot be hidden.
Xu Xianping, former member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission: I was mentally undefended and did not hold the bottom line. The bottom line is actually a safety line, not only your own safety, but also the safety of your family and relatives. That’s why I’m in pain and repenting. I sincerely confess my sins and repent.
Xu Xianping, who once served as secretary and director of the Party Leadership Group of the Hunan Provincial Development Planning Commission, deputy governor of Hunan Province, member of the Party Leadership Group and deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, etc., retired to the “second line” in 2015 and later served as counselor of the State Council. He retired in July 2023 and was subject to review and investigation in March 2025. Xu Xianping is particularly typical in terms of “retiring without rest” and using “remaining power” to seek “remaining profits”.
Zhu Zhen, a second-level inspector of the Second Supervision and Inspection Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission: Leading cadres retreat to the “second line” and retire, but their influence is still there. If they relax their requirements, this will easily cause problems.
Xu Xianping has been engaged in economic management for a long time and is quite famous and influential in the economic and financial fields. After he retired from the position of deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission in 2015, he was invited to serve as a distinguished professor in universities. He often went to party and government agencies, large enterprises, and social groups to participate in forum lectures, project research, planning and other activities, and frequently contacted people from the political and business circles. These are supposed to be stages where professional skills can be used to continue to exert residual heat, but Xu Xianping regards them as platforms to maintain his own influence, blend political and business relationships, and then seek personal gain.
Xu Xianping: I think that when the ship arrives at the dock and the bus arrives, there is nothing to worry about. I don’t take it seriously when asking for services for personal gain. I said something like, the world is so wonderful, you can only know it after you retire. This is laissez-faire, completely letting yourself go, without any strings in your mind.
In 2017, a central enterprise invited Xu Xianping to participate in a research project on deepening the enterprise’s reform, and Xu Xianping got to know the person in charge of the enterprise. Soon after, Xu Xianping introduced private builder Huang Huan to the person in charge of the company and requested that Huang Huan’s company be included in the qualified supplier database of the central enterprise. As everyone knows, Xu Xianping has been deeply connected with Huang Huan. On the surface, he is introducing Huang Huan’s company and opening up the market, but in fact he is opening up new profit-making channels for himself.
Huang Huan is the nephew of a friend of Xu Xianping. After Xu Xianping retired to the “second line”, he often traveled between Beijing and Changsha, so he purchased a property in Changsha and gave it to Huang Huan to decorate. Huang Huan, who had other plans, worked extra hard and only charged him 300,000 yuan, but the actual cost was several times higher.
Huang Huan, the businessman involved in the case: Help him renovate his house and be a stepping stone. He has been the deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission for so many years and should have a lot of resources. He may have just retired and may still have a certain say. Just recommend it and others may buy it.
With more and more interactions, Huang Huan took the initiative to act as the “housekeeper” of the Xu family.
Huang Huan, the businessman involved in the case: I made the request. I said that if you, including anyone in your family, returns to Changsha, I will provide logistical support. I will send a special car and a full-time driver to follow you. Before they come back, I will send someone to clean up the sanitation of their home inside and out. I will check the water, electricity, and gas at any time. If there is not enough, I will immediately add a few hundred yuan to put it in. When they want to return to Changsha, they can check in at any time without having to worry about anything. After they leave Changsha, I will send special personnel to clean and restore them.
Xu Xianping felt that Huang Huan was sensible and reliable, so he intended to train him to be the spokesman for his own interests, and benefited from it by helping him undertake engineering projects. After investigation, Xu Xianping not only helped Huang Huan’s company enter the qualified supplier database of a central enterprise, but also helped him contract two shantytown renovation construction projects.
Zhu Zhen, a second-level inspector of the Second Supervision and Inspection Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission: Collusion between politics and business has destroyed the market environment. If these businessmen and bosses get projects by looking for backstage and connections, how can those enterprises that operate legally and develop on their own ability develop?
Huang Huan obtained huge benefits from this, while Xu Xianping, through his family members, received millions of yuan in bribes from Huang Huan in the name of so-called “loan”. One of Xu Xianping’s common methods is to cover up power and money transactions in the name of borrowing. A luxury car that has been used by his family from 2018 to 2025 was also “lent” to him by a company in Hunan. The company paid for the insurance, fueling, maintenance and repair costs.
The benefits this company delivered to him certainly went far beyond “loaning” him a car. Fang Hong, the legal representative of the company, met Xu Xianping as early as 2004 when he was the deputy governor of Hunan Province, and they have developed a close relationship by playing tennis with him for a long time. By 2007, Fang Hong suggested that Xu Xianping buy some original shares of his company. On the surface, it seemed to be market behavior, but in fact, both parties understood that this was just another hidden way of transferring benefits.
Fang Hong, the businessman involved in the case: I have dealt with Xu Xianping, and I think this person is reliable. During the share reform process, we proposed to give him 1.5%.
Xu Xianping: Because we were playing tennis together later, we wanted to give 1.5% of the shares to our family. In the end, what he gave me the original equity was the expected benefits. It was because he liked the power in my hands, and I could use the power in my hands to do things for him.
Xu Xianping then arranged for his wife and brother-in-law’s company to come forward to subscribe for these original shares. The actual participation in the shares meant that it formed an interest-binding relationship with Fang Hong’s company. Since then, Xu Xianping used his power and influence to greet Fang Hong’s corporate restructuring, mergers, acquisitions and listing, and spared no effort to support the development and growth of his company. After relegating to the “second line”, Xu Xianping began to cash in his interests. From 2018 to 2019, he made profits by reducing his holdings and selling off his equity. Coupled with early dividends, the actual profit amounted to millions of yuan.
Zhu Zhen, a second-level inspector of the Second Supervision and Inspection Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission: His power-money transactions have the characteristics of optionization. He deliberately separated the collection of money from the service in terms of time and space. It took more than ten years for him to receive the equity and realize it. This time is very long.
Xu Xianping considered this model to be very covert and used it more than once, using arranging family members as a cover, bundling interests, and long-term alliances between power and capital. Chen Zhidong, the businessman and boss who paid the largest amount of bribes to Xu Xianping, has maintained this long-term “cooperative” relationship with him for nearly 20 years.
Chen Zhidong, the businessman involved in the case: Because I really planned to need all kinds of resources at the time, and then Xu Xianping was the deputy governor and thought he could help us, so we found his family.
Chen Zhidong joined the tourism industry around 2000 and led the development of the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Scenic Area. Xu Xianping was the deputy governor of Hunan Province in charge of land, construction, and finance at the time. Chen Zhidong and a relative of Xu Xianping were former comrades in arms. He started with daily interactions and gradually became more familiar with many relatives of the Xu family. He then invited his relatives to “inspect” the scenic spot, and then offered to transfer part of the equity and suggested that their family consider investing in the shares.
Xu Xianping: When my relatives asked me, I nodded. At that time, the relatives at home said that this should not be in my name. Specifically, the relatives were in charge of this matter.
The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon is indeed endowed with unique tourism resources, and Xu Xianping was also optimistic about its development prospects. Therefore, in 2007, he negotiated with Chen Zhidong through his relatives to subscribe for 5% of the equity of the Grand Canyon Company, which he would hold on his behalf. In the future, Chen Zhidong would cash in the benefits through equity repurchases. The 5% stake in Grand Canyon Company was worth about 3 million yuan at the time, and the Xu family only paid a symbolic payment of 80,000 yuan. The essence of the shareholding model is the binding of long-term interests. Xu Xianping helps Chen Zhidong’s business development, which is equivalent to helping himself.
Zhu Zhen, second-level inspector of the Second Supervision and Inspection Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission: Xu Xianping is in charge of the province’s financial work. When Grand Canyon Company needed a loan, he helped Chen Zhidong get a bank loan. Another one was regarding the operation of Grand Canyon Company. He called the local leaders and asked them to take care of him.
Xu Xianping and Chen Zhidong deliberately kept a distance for many years, with relatives taking care of everything. After he retreated to the “second line”, the exchanges between the two parties became closer. Chen Zhidong specially signed up to study for an executive master’s degree in business administration at a well-known university where Xu Xianping taught. He became his student and took the opportunity to get closer to him directly and use his influence to seek greater development.
Chen Zhidong, the businessman involved in the case: This kind of political and business relationship is not easy to grasp. I am also worried about something happening. If he is no longer in his position, the risk factor will be smaller if he retires.
Xu Xianping also believed that it would be safer to retreat to the “second line”, so he used his influence more unscrupulously to help the development of Chen Zhidong’s company. He also knows that if the company develops well, it will not only benefit Chen Zhidong, but also benefit him as an “invisible shareholder”.
Convenient transportation is crucial to the tourism industry, and Xu Xianping used his influence as deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission to promote transportation development plans that are beneficial to scenic spots. As for his relationship with Chen Zhidong, he is no longer as secretive as before, but directly stands up for him.
Chen Zhidong, the businessman involved in the case: The leaders help, he has their skills and their methods. For example, he once came to Zhangjiajie for inspection. He told me in advance and asked me to pick him up at the airport, and he made arrangements. This should be an idea to help me stand up, and the effect must be very good.
In 2016 and 2017, Xu Xianping also directly greeted the local leader twice, asking him to take care of Chen Zhidong and his company, and asking him to help promote a cadre recommended by Chen Zhidong.
Zhu Zhen, second-level inspector of the Second Supervision and Inspection Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission: Xu Xianping made a phone call to an old subordinate, and the matter was done. It was very easy. This not only damages the integrity of state workers’ official behavior, but what is even worse is that it brings the principle of commodity trading into the field of organizational personnel and pollutes the political ecology. The collusion between officials and the bosses of these private companies will inevitably lead to a series of problems such as benefit transfer, power-for-money transactions, and nepotism.
By 2020, Xu Xianping began to reap benefits. After negotiation between the two parties, Chen Zhidong “repurchased” the 5% equity at a high price, and Xu Xianping obtained a net “profit” of tens of millions of yuan. This money is actually a disguised bribe in exchange for rent-seeking power.
Xu Xianping: In essence, I use my power to do things for the company, and the company delivers benefits to my family and relatives. It is a typical power-for-money transaction. Things happen because of me, people gather because of me, and disasters are planted because of me. I want to be an official and also want to get rich. This is not a one-way car. If you run on the same road, you will definitely crash and overturn the car, so I actually feel really regretful.
It has been 10 years since Xu Xianping retired to the “second line”. During these 10 years, the anti-corruption struggle has continued to advance in depth. However, he has been lucky. He believes that he has been in charge of economic work for a long time and has the ability to put on an “invisibility cloak” to obtain illegal benefits and evade punishment under party discipline and state law. In fact, the essence of power-for-money transactions lies there and cannot be concealed. The task force overcame difficulties such as invisible variations in disciplinary and illegal methods and a long time span in this case, and cleared away the “smoke bombs” such as layers of nesting and holding on behalf of others. Through the complicated superficial phenomena, they got to the essence of corruption involving political and business collusion, making Xu Xianping’s disguise and cover-up futile.
Xu Xianping: Greed is really harmful to others. You originally wanted to get more, but in fact, because of your greed, you lost everything you already had. In the end, you also lost the most precious thing – freedom.
In November 2025, Xu Xianping was expelled from the party, his benefits were revoked in accordance with regulations, and his suspected criminal issues were transferred to the procuratorate for review and prosecution in accordance with the law.
Zhu Zhen, a second-level inspector of the Second Supervision and Inspection Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission: As a retired leading cadre, you must understand that you are always a cadre of the party. Retirement cannot fade or lower your own standards and requirements. You must always maintain awe of this power. First of all, you must distinguish between intimacy and public and private affairs. You must not collude with businessmen and bosses to use power for personal gain.
Retirement is not a “safety deposit box”, and the fight against corruption will not stop without exception. It will neither stop because of the retirement of leading cadres, nor will there be any blind spots due to retirement. Party organizations at all levels must adhere to the combination of education and restraint, pay equal attention to strict management and love, effectively strengthen the education, management and supervision of retired leading cadres, and guide them to stick to their original aspirations and maintain their true qualities forever.
Original title: “Details of the corruption of Deputy Minister Xu Xianping disclosed: businessmen built a close relationship with him by playing tennis with him for a long time, and also gave him shares; someone acted as his housekeeper, sent a full-time driver to follow him, and invited people to go to his house to do sanitation”
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