Liu Zhijun
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Liu Zhijun | |
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刘志军 | |
Minister of Railways of the People's Republic of China | |
In office 2003–2011 | |
Premier | Wen Jiabao |
Preceded by | Fu Zhihuan |
Succeeded by | Sheng Guangzu |
Personal details | |
Born | Railway systems engineering | 29 January 1953
Signature | |
Liu Zhijun (
As Railway Minister, Liu oversaw numerous expansions of China's railway system, most notably the rapid development of China's high-speed railway. He was a figure of national praise until February 2011, when he was arrested and expelled from the Party over allegations of corruption. After the Wenzhou train collision in July 2011, in which forty people died and one hundred and ninety-two people were injured, a government report singled out his leadership as one of the main contributors to the crash and he was publicly criticized.
In April 2013, Liu was arrested on
Career
Early career
Liu was born in
Liu graduated from the
Minister of Railways
Liu was promoted to vice-minister, and later succeeded then-Minister
When China's first high-speed rail system completed its first test-run in June 2008 it was 75 per cent over budget, but was hailed in the Chinese media as an achievement worthy of national pride.
In 2009 Liu gave a public lecture in which he voiced his opinion that, in order to avoid rising costs due to China's high rate of inflation, his ministry must "seize the opportunity, build more railways, and build them fast." Before 2011 the Railway Ministry acted as its own regulator and was virtually unsupervised by the central government. Liu personally attempted to intimidate academics critical of the pace of the high-speed railway's construction, and ignored Japanese warnings that his trains were being operated at speeds 25% greater than what was considered safe in Japan.[8]
Criticism, investigation, and fall
During his tenure, Liu's ministry was criticized for its illegitimate business interests and relationships with large companies, its inability to improve conditions for migrant workers during the
Liu was criticized within China for arranging a high-level position within the ministry for his brother, Liu Zhixiang. In January 2005 Liu Zhixiang was arrested for embezzlement, bribe-taking, and arranging the killing of a contractor intent on exposing him. Before being arrested, Liu Zhixiang was able to amass a fortune equivalent to US$50 million in cash, real estate comprising 374 properties,[13] jewelry, and art. He was sentenced to death, but this sentence was suspended and reduced to sixteen years in jail, after which he was transferred to a hospital to serve his sentence there. While serving his sentence in hospital he reportedly continued to conduct rail business by phone.[8]
In February 2011 Liu Zhijun was placed under investigation for alleged "severe violations of discipline" by the Chinese
His dismissal was linked to an earlier corruption case involving Shanxi business magnate Ding Yuxin (former name Ding Shumiao) of Boyou Investment Management Group Ltd., a company whose portfolio benefited greatly from China's rapid high-speed rail construction.[16] Just prior to his dismissal Liu had traveled over 7,000 miles across China, from 30 January to 8 February, inspecting China's railways in order to ensure smooth operations during the subsequent Chinese New Year travel season. His downfall came suddenly and unexpectedly.[17] At the time of his dismissal, the international media considered Liu the highest-level Party official to be prosecuted for corruption since Chen Liangyu lost his post as Party Chief of Shanghai in 2006.[10]
Liu was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party in May 2011 for "severe violations of discipline" and "primary leadership responsibilities for the serious corruption problem within the railway system". The Chinese state press alleged that Liu took an illegal 4% commission on railway deals, and that he had accumulated over two hundred and fifty million dollars in bribes. The CCP later accused him of "sexual misconduct", a revelation which surprised many who had followed Liu's career. The Hong Kong-based newspaper Ming Pao repeated this report, alleging that Liu kept eighteen mistresses.[8]
In July 2011, while Liu was still under investigation, the Wenzhou train collision, in which a faulty signal box led to the deaths of forty people and injured one hundred and ninety-two, exposed him to further accusations of systematic corruption and incompetence within his Rail Ministry. The Railway Ministry unsuccessfully attempted to cover up the details of the crash, but lingering public criticism led Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to visit the crash site shortly after the incident, where he promised a full, public government investigation and justice for those found responsible. The government released its findings in December 2011, in which it acknowledged and blamed the disaster on "serious design flaws", "a neglect of safety management", and flaws in the bidding and testing processes used to acquire materials. The report publicly blamed fifty-four private and government figures for the disaster, the most prominent of which was Liu Zhijun.[8]
Following the December report, Liu's name became a byword for "a broken system". He was put on trial in 2013 and received a death sentence with reprieve in July 2013.[3] After his fall in 2011, Chinese government censors removed and/or blocked within China the many glowing reviews of his government service which had accumulated over his career, so that now only the details of his arrest remain available within China.[8]
On 14 December 2015, Liu Zhijun's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. The prison authorities said that he was expressing repentance and had committed no intentional offences during the reprieve period.[7]
Notes
- ^ Note that while Liu was removed from his party post as chief of the ministry, Liu nominally retained the government position of Minister of Railways, until his removal was confirmed later in 2011 by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. This was merely a procedural confirmation that served as a formality.
References
- ^ "Former Chinese minister is charged". BBC. 10 April 2013.
- ^ Megerian, Chris (10 April 2013). "Chinese bullet train leader charged with corruption" – via LA Times.
- ^ a b "China Charges Former Railway Chief in Corruption Crackdown - Businessweek". Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
- ^ "Official and family 'were paid". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "Korrupter Chinese: Todesstrafe auf Bewährung". Manager Magazin Online, 8 July 2013. [1]
- ^ Maierbrugger, Arno (9 July 2013). "Chinese ex-minister gets death sentence for corruption". Inside Investor. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ^ a b "Death Sentence Reduced to Life in Prison for Wife of Bo Xilai". China Radio International. 14 December 2015. Archived from the original on 14 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Osnos
- ^ a b c Gov.cn
- ^ a b c d Wong
- ^ a b c Mu "Major Events in China's Railway System During Liu's Tenure"
- ^ Mu "Chinese Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun Suspected of Serious Violations of Party Discipline and investigated" p.1
- ^ "The Trial of the Most Hated Man in China: Former Railways Minister Liu Zhijun". The Atlantic. 12 June 2013.
- ^ Lu
- ^ Wee
- ^ Cao
- ^ Mu "Liu Zhijun Inspected Work During Chinese New Year for Ten Days Straight"
Sources
- Cao Tongqing (12 February 2011). 刘志军被查与丁书苗案有关 [Investigation of Liu Zhijun Linked to the Ding Shumiao Case]. Duowei News. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
- Gov.cn. "Liu Zhijun". Gov.cn: Chinese Government's Official Web Portal. 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
- Lu Hui. "China's Railway Minister Under Investigation Over 'Disciplinary Violation'". Xinhua News. 12 February 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
- Mu Yao (12 February 2011). 中国铁道部长刘志军涉嫌严重违纪接受调查 [Chinese Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun Suspected of Serious Violations of Party Discipline and investigated]. Duowei News. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
- Mu Yao (12 February 2011). 刘志军连续10天视察春运 [Liu Zhijun Inspected Work During Chinese New Year for Ten Days Straight]. Duowei News. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
- Mu Yao (12 February 2011). 刘志军任内铁路大事记 [Major Events in China's Railway System During Liu's Tenure]. Duowei News. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
- Osnos, Evan. "Boss Rail: The Disaster That Exposed the Underside of the Boom". The New Yorker. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
- Wee, Sui-Lee, Huang Yan, and Miral Fahmy. "China Railways Minister Dismissed -Xinhua"[dead link]. The Los Angeles Times. 25 February 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011. [Broken link].
- Wong, Edward. "China’s Railway Minister Loses Post in Corruption Inquiry". The New York Times. 12 February 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2012.