China investigates former Wuhan party chief Wang Zhonglin

China’s anti-graft watchdog said on 13 November that Wang Zhonglin, a former party chief of Wuhan and Hubei province, was under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law. The announcement states suspicions, not a criminal charge or a finding of guilt.

Wang took over as Wuhan’s top party official in February 2020, during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. He replaced Ma Guoqiang, who was removed amid criticism of the city’s initial handling of the outbreak, CNA said.

A party review and state investigation

CCTV said Wang was undergoing a disciplinary review and supervisory investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission. The two commissions are co-located. The party commission oversees discipline; the state commission investigates official misconduct and can decide administrative sanctions for civil servants.

At the time of the announcement, Wang was a deputy chair of the Environmental Protection and Resources Conservation Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress, China’s parliament. He had become Hubei governor in 2021 and provincial Communist Party chief, the province’s highest-ranking official, in 2024.

Other former Hubei leaders

Several other former officials who served in Hubei during the pandemic have faced separate cases. Former provincial party chief Jiang Chaoliang received a suspended death sentence for bribery in August, while an investigation into former governor Wang Xiaodong began in May. Former Wuhan mayor Zhou Xianwang was sentenced to 14 years in prison over corruption in October.