Zhang Xinqi

Zhang Xinqi (Chinese: 张新起; born August 1956) is a retired Chinese politician who spent his entire career in his home-province Shandong. He was investigated by China's top anti-graft agency in February 2021.[1] He is the second vice ministerial-level official in Shandong to be targeted by China's top anticorruption watchdog since the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in October 2017, after Ji Xiangqi, former vice governor of Shandong.[2] He is also the second high-level official caught in the year of the ox, after Wang Fuyu, former chairman of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.[3]

In this Chinese name, the family name is Zhang.
Zhang Xinqi
张新起
Vice Chairman of Shandong People's Congress
In office
February 2017 – January 2018
ChairmanJiang Yikang
Liu Jiayi
Mayor of Qingdao
In office
March 2012 – February 2017
Preceded byXia Geng
Succeeded byMeng Fanli
Communist Party Secretary of Weifang
In office
September 2006 – December 2011
Preceded byZhang Chuanlin
Succeeded byXu Liquan
Mayor of Weifang
In office
December 2002 – September 2006
Preceded byWang Boxiang
Succeeded byXu Liquan
Personal details
BornAugust 1956 (age 67)
Rongcheng, Shandong, China
Political partyChinese Communist Party (1977–2021; expelled)
Alma materLudong University
Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese張新起
Simplified Chinese张新起

Born and raised in Rongcheng, Shandong, he worked in government after college. During the late Cultural Revolution, he worked as a sent-down youth for more than a year.[2] He joined the Chinese Communist Party in March 1977. He served as mayor of Qingdao from 2012 to 2017, and mayor and party chief of Weifang from 2002 to 2011.[1] At the height of his political career, he was vice chairman of Shandong People's Congress.[1]

He was a delegate to the 10th and 12th National People's Congress.

Early life and education

Zhang was born in Rongcheng, Shandong, in August 1956. During the late Cultural Revolution, in July 1974, he was a sent-down youth in his home-county. In November 1975, he joined the local aquatic products supply and marketing company as a statistician. In November 1978, he was admitted to Yantai Normal School (now Ludong University), where he majored in Chinese.

Career

After graduating in July 1980, he was dispatched to Yantai Construction Company, where he eventually became its deputy party chief and deputy manager in December 1985. In February 1989, he was appointed deputy director of the newly established Yantai Construction Committee, and held that office until October 1992, when he rose to become party branch secretary and director of Yantai Planning Bureau. In September 1994, he was transferred to Laizhou, a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Yantai, and appointed mayor and party branch secretary. In December 1997, he was appointed party chief of Laizhou and was admitted to member of the standing committee of the CPC Yantai Municipal Committee, the city's top authority. During his time as mayor of Laizhou, he supervised the construction of 7 garden parks, more than 20 street green spaces and a 10-kilometre (6.2 mi) green belt around the city, with an urban coverage rate of 40%.[2][3] Laizhou was rated as a National Environmental Protection Model City (全国环保模范城市) by the State Environmental Protection Administration in 2000.[2][3]

In January 2001 he became deputy communist party secretary and vice mayor of the neighbouring Weifang city, rising to mayor in February 2003 and party chief in September 2006. During his tenure, Weifang started the construction of ecological city in an all-round way, carried out the greening construction of "Ten Major Projects and One Hundred Projects" (十大工程百个项目), and was named "National Garden City" (国家园林城市) by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development in 2010.[2][3]

Mayor of Qingdao
See also: 2013 Qingdao oil pipeline explosion

In December 2011, he was transferred to the coastal city Qingdao and appointed deputy party chief, concurrently holding the mayor position since March 2012.

On February 27, 2012, Qingdao government issued the "Circular on carrying out afforestation and greening in the whole city" (关于在全市开展植树增绿大行动的通告), which planned to invest more than 4 billion yuan in afforestation that year, and put forward the goal of creating a "National Forest City" (国家森林城市).[2][3][4] In 2011, the local financial revenue of Qingdao was 56.6 billion yuan, and the afforestation project accounted for 7.2% of the financial revenue of Qingdao.[2][3] Such a large-scale afforestation project with huge cost had aroused the doubts of the local people.[2][3] On April 19, vice mayor Wang Jianxiang (王建祥) apologized for the lack of work in online communication with netizens and promised to adjust the existing problems.[3] On April 20, Qingdao Morning Post (青岛早报), the mouthpiece of Qingdao government, criticized the people of Qingdao for "complacent, self-sufficient, selfish, self complaining, self abandoning and self talking" (自满自足，自私自利，自怨自弃，自说自话) in the form of big character on the front page of 3/4 area.[4] At the same time, in the news guide at the lower right corner, there is news that "4 billion yuan planting trees is false news" (40亿种树费子虚乌有).[4] On April 27, when listening to the work report of the Bureau of Parks and Woods, Zhang said, "if there are some dissatisfied problems in the work of afforestation, I should first make self-criticism."[4] Zhang was nicknamed "Tree Planting Mayor" (种树市长) by the local people after the afforestation project.[2]

On November 22, 2013, 62 people were killed and 136 injured in the explosion caused by the crude oil leakage, resulting in a direct economic loss of 750 million yuan.[3] On January 10, 2014, Zhang was given an administrative warning.[3] During his term in office, he also undertook major improvements to the city's tourism.[2] An overcharging customers drew the attention all over the country and seriously affected the image of Qingdao as a tourist city.[2] On October 4, 2015, when a tourist ordered in Qingdao, a 38 yuan dish of prawns became 38 yuan each when he checked out, and the dish of prawns cost more than 1,500 yuan. After the tourists called the police he still spent more than 1,300 yuan.[2]

In February 2017, he became vice chairman of Shandong People's Congress, serving in the post until his retirement in January 2018.

Downfall

On February 23, 2021, he has come under investigation for "serious violations of discipline and laws" by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the party's internal disciplinary body, and the National Supervisory Commission, the highest anti-corruption agency of China.[5][6] On August 17, he was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and dismissed from public office.[7] On August 30, he has been arrested on suspicion of taking bribes as per a decision made by the Supreme People's Procuratorate.[8] On November 1, he was indicted on suspicion of accepting bribes.[9][10]

References
  1. Yin Yue (尹悦) (23 February 2021). 中央再打虎！山东省人大常委会原副主任张新起落马. sina (in Chinese). Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  2. 起底十九大以来山东第二“虎” ：种树引争议，任内曾背处分. 163.com (in Chinese). 23 February 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  3. Xiong Yingqi (熊颖琪); Cai Eryi (蔡迩一) (23 February 2021). “种树市长”成牛年第二虎！任内曾发生“青岛大虾”事件. Tencent (in Chinese). Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  4. Meng Yana (孟艳娜) (23 February 2021). 山东副部级官员张新起被查 曾被称“种树市长”. Tencent (in Chinese). Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  5. "Former provincial legislator under investigation for discipline violation". xinhuanet.com. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  6. Jiang Ziwen (蒋子文) (23 February 2021). 三天内连打两“虎”：山东省人大常委会原副主任张新起落马. thepaper.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  7. 山东省人大常委会原党组成员、副主任张新起严重违纪违法被开除党籍. sina (in Chinese). 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  8. Cheng Qin (程琴) (30 August 2021). 最高检依法对山东省人大常委会原副主任张新起决定逮捕. sina (in Chinese). Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  9. "China's former provincial legislator prosecuted". shine.cn. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  10. Song Qingying (宋清影) (2 November 2021). 山东“第二虎”张新起被公诉 为今年山东落马的首个省部级官员. sina (in Chinese). Retrieved 3 November 2021.
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