Li Dongsheng

In this Chinese name, the family name is Li.

Li Dongsheng 李东生
Director of the 610 Office
Vice Minister of Public Security
In office October 2009 – 25 December 2013
Minister	Guo Shengkun
Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department
In office May 2002 – October 2009
Head	Liu Yunshan
Personal details
Born	December 1955 (age 69) Zhucheng, Weifang, Shandong, China
Political party	Chinese Communist Party (1986–2014, expelled)
Residence(s)	Beijing, China
Alma mater	Fudan University
Occupation	Politician

Li Dongsheng (simplified Chinese: 李东生; traditional Chinese: 李東生; pinyin: Lǐ Dōngshēng; born in December 1955 in Zhucheng, Shandong) was a Vice Minister of China's Ministry of Public Security and a member of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. He oversaw the office in charge of suppressing the Falun Gong and other banned spiritual groups.^[1][2] Seen as an associate of Zhou Yongkang, Li was investigated for corruption allegations in 2013 and charged with abuse of power and bribery. In 2016, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.^[3]

Career

Li was born in Zhucheng, Weifang, Shandong in December 1955. He graduated from Fudan University in Shanghai, where he majored in journalism. After graduation, he began working for China Central Television (CCTV), where he operated cameras and was part of the reporting teams. As a journalist, he focused on politics, presumably putting him in contact with senior figures of the Chinese Communist Party and its government. He joined the CCP in March 1986. Li worked his way up the administrative ranks of CCTV, and was eventually named vice president. He was instrumental in kickstarting the Oriental Horizon program, and for much of the 1990s was responsible for overseeing the investigative journalism program Point.^[4]

In 2000, Li began his foray into the government and was named the deputy head of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT). In May 2002, he was appointed the Deputy Head of the Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party. He was the chief official spokesperson of the 17th Party Congress in October 2007. He remained deputy head of propaganda until October 2009, when he was appointed the Deputy Minister of Public Security.^[5][6]

Dismissal and expulsion from the Party

On December 20, 2013, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced that Li Dongsheng was suspected of committing "grave violations of Party discipline and the law," and that he was undergoing investigation.^[7][8][9] This made Li the second member of the Central Committee to be investigated on corruption charges since the 18th Party Congress, when Xi Jinping became General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (the first to be investigated was Jiang Jiemin). Five days later, on December 25, Li Dongsheng was removed from his positions as deputy of the Leading Group on Dealing with Heterodox Religions, director of the 610 Office, and Vice Minister of Public Security.^[10]

On June 30, 2014, Xinhua announced that Li Dongsheng had been expelled from the Chinese Communist Party and transferred to judicial authorities for prosecution. He was indicted on charges of "using the convenience of his position to gain benefits for others, soliciting and accepting huge bribes."^[11]

On January 12, 2016, Li was sentenced to 15 years in prison.^[12] The total sums involved in Li's case were about 22 million yuan, or US$3.4 million.^[13]

References

1. Wan, William (20 December 2013). "Chinese vice minister under investigation by Communist Party in anti-corruption campaign". Washington Post. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
2. Tong, James (2009). Revenge of the Forbidden City: The Suppression of Falungong in China, 1999-2005. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195377286. = Link on Google Books
3. "Li Dongsheng, China's Vice Minister Of Public Security, Investigated For Corruption". Associated Press. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
4. "李东生从央视摄影记者干起 曾推出《焦点访谈》，凤凰网，2013-12-21". Archived from the original on 2019-08-27. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
5. "Li Dongsheng, China's Vice Minister Of Public Security, Investigated For Corruption". Huffingtonpost.com. 2013-12-20.
6. "Chinese Security Official Is Focus of Corruption Inquiry". The New York Times. 2013-12-21.
7. "China sacks vice police chief with connections to Zhou Yongkang". Reuters.com. 2014-02-24.
8. "China sacks security vice-minister Li Dongsheng". BBC. 2014-02-24.
9. "李东生涉嫌严重违纪违法接受组织调查". 中共中央纪律检查委员会. 2013-12-20. Retrieved 2014-09-20.
10. "中组部:中央已决定免去李东生领导职务". Xinhua Net. 2013-12-25. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved 2014-09-20.
11. "中央防范和处理邪教问题领导小组原副组长、办公室主任，公安部原党委副书记、副部长李东生严重违纪违法被开除党籍". Xinhua Net. 2014-06-30. Archived from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-20.
12. "Chinese former minister Li Dongsheng sentenced to 15 years for corruption". Deutsche Welle. 2016-01-12. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
13. "Former top Chinese police official and Zhou Yongkang ally jailed on corruption charges". South China Morning Post. 2016-01-12. Retrieved 2016-01-12.