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William Zheng

Tian Xuebin, a State Council veteran who worked under several former premiers, has been placed under investigation by the top anti-corruption agency of China’s ruling Communist Party.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), China’s highest political disciplinary and anti-corruption agency, announced on Monday that Tian, 62, had been detained for “suspected serious violations of discipline and law”, a euphemism for corruption.
He last served as vice-minister of water resources before stepping down in December 2023.
The CCDI move makes Tian the first official of vice-ministerial level or above – a class graft-fighters have termed “tigers” – to fall from grace in 2026.
The native of Gansu province pursued postgraduate studies at the training department of the Central Party School in the 1980s and was chosen to serve in Beijing’s central government agencies after graduating in 1989.


His most notable achievement was spending 16 years in various roles in the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the General Office of the State Council – the nerve centre of China’s top party and government organs – where he was secretary to party and state leaders.
Holding various State Council positions between 1992 and 2015, Tian served under multiple premiers, including Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Wen Jiabao and Li Keqiang.
While Beijing is usually tight-lipped about the secretaries of state leaders, a 2003 article by Duo Fangru, a former top political adviser in Fucheng county in Hebei province, northern China, mentioned that Tian accompanied Wen on inspections in his capacity as Wen’s secretary.
Between 1992 and 2008, Tian served in the General Office of the State Council – China’s cabinet – before he was promoted to deputy director of the State Council Research Office, which provides policy research for Beijing’s top government leaders.
Tian was promoted to vice-minister of water resources in 2015, serving until his retirement in 2023.
Monday’s announcement of the investigation into Tian came just a day after the CCDI said it had completed investigations into Zhou Xianwang, who was mayor of Wuhan when the Covid-19 outbreak began; Xu Chuanzhi, former top disciplinary inspector; Liu Shaoyong, former chairman of China Eastern Airlines; and Feng Zhibin, former deputy general manager of Sinochem Group.
All four had been expelled from the party and would be handed over to the judiciary for trial, it said.
The party has vowed to press ahead with President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign this year, after a record 65 high-ranking officials were detained by the country’s top anti-graft agency in 2025. The figure is 12 per cent higher than the 58 senior officials caught in the anti-corruption fight in 2024.
Xi maintained a harsh tone on corruption in his televised New Year’s speech on Wednesday, less than two weeks ahead of the CCDI’s annual meeting, which will decide its work priorities this year.


He urged the party to continue to closely watch its discipline and conduct, and hailed it as a critical factor for ensuring the longevity of the party’s rule over China.
In a front-page editorial on Saturday, party mouthpiece People’s Daily said: “No one should harbour illusions or luck, and there must be no mistaken expectation of any softening [of the anti-corruption campaign]”. This reiterated a speech by Xi published on Thursday in the party magazine Qiushi.


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Tian Xuebin, who retired as vice-minister of water resources in 2023, served under several premiers


Tian Xuebin, who retired as vice-minister of water resources in 2023, served under several premiers.


China continued hunt for corrupt ‘tigers’ snares State Council veteran

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Tian Xuebin, who retired as vice-minister of water resources in 2023, served under several premiers

Tian Xuebin, who retired as vice-minister of water resources in 2023, served under several premiers