Sun Zhengcai facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sun Zhengcai
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孙政才
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| Party Secretary of Chongqing | |
| In office 20 November 2012 – 14 July 2017 |
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| Deputy | Huang Qifan→Zhang Guoqing (mayor) Zhang Guoqing→Tang Liangzhi (zhuanzhi) |
| Preceded by | Zhang Dejiang |
| Succeeded by | Chen Min'er |
| Party Secretary of Jilin | |
| In office 30 November 2009 – 20 November 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Wang Min |
| Succeeded by | Wang Rulin |
| Minister of Agriculture | |
| In office 29 December 2006 – 26 December 2009 |
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| Premier | Wen Jiabao |
| Preceded by | Du Qinglin |
| Succeeded by | Han Changfu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 25, 1963 Rongcheng, Shandong, China |
| Political party | Chinese Communist Party (expelled) |
| Alma mater | Qingdao Agricultural University China Agricultural University |
| Sun Zhengcai | |||||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 孙政才 | ||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 孫政才 | ||||||||
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Sun Zhengcai (Chinese: 孙政才; born September 25, 1963) is a former Chinese politician. He held important positions in the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party. From 2012 to 2017, Sun was the top leader of Chongqing, a large city in China. He was also a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, which is a very powerful group of leaders.
Before leading Chongqing, he was the top leader of Jilin province. He also served as the Minister of Agriculture for China. In July 2017, Sun was removed from his job and investigated for serious wrongdoing. He was later found guilty of bribery and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2018.
Sun was once seen as a rising star in Chinese politics. He was the youngest member of the 18th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party. His removal was a significant event in Chinese politics.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Sun Zhengcai was born in September 1963. He grew up in a farming family in a village near Rongcheng, in Shandong province. In 1980, he started studying at Laiyang Agricultural College. This school is now known as Qingdao Agricultural University.
After getting his first degree, Sun continued his studies. He went to the Beijing Agriculture and Forestry Institute and the China Agricultural University. There, he earned master's degrees in agronomy, which is the science of soil management and crop production. After finishing his studies, he stayed at the institute. He worked as a researcher and later became an administrator. He eventually became the executive vice president, managing the institute's daily work.
Start of Political Career
Sun joined the Chinese Communist Party in July 1988. In 1997, he became the governor of Shunyi County in Beijing. He was also the Deputy Communist Party Secretary there. Shunyi later changed from a county to an urban district. Sun continued to serve as the district governor.
In February 2002, he became the Party Secretary of the Shunyi District. Soon after, in May 2002, Sun was elected to the municipal Party Standing Committee. This was a big step up for him at just 39 years old. From 2002 to 2006, he worked as the secretary-general of the Beijing party organization. In December 2006, he was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture. He was nominated for this role by Premier Wen Jiabao. At 43, Sun was one of the youngest ministers in the State Council at that time.
Leadership in Jilin and Chongqing
In November 2009, Sun became the party secretary of Jilin province. Jilin is located in northeast China. In November 2012, after the 18th CCP National Congress, he was appointed to the Politburo. He then took over as the party chief of Chongqing, replacing Zhang Dejiang.
The position in Chongqing was very important. It showed that Sun was likely headed for even higher leadership roles. It also showed that the central government trusted him. Chongqing had recently gone through a difficult political period. Sun's appointment meant he was expected to bring stability. Since the 1990s, leading a major region like Chongqing was often a step towards national leadership.
In Chongqing, Sun introduced a plan called "Five Great Capability Areas." This plan divided Chongqing into five parts to help manage and share resources. In January 2016, Xi Jinping, China's top leader, visited Chongqing. He praised the city's progress. This led many to believe that Sun had Xi's support for future promotions.
However, in February 2017, things started to change for Sun. An inspection team reported that Chongqing had not fully dealt with past political issues. This was seen as a criticism of Sun's leadership. In May, Sun publicly supported Xi Jinping as the party's core leader. He also promised to fix the issues mentioned in the report. But in June 2017, Chongqing's police chief, He Ting, was removed from his job. He Ting and Sun were from the same area.
On July 15, 2017, it was announced that Sun would be replaced as party secretary of Chongqing by Chen Min'er. Sun was not present at the handover ceremony. There was also no mention of his work in Chongqing, which was unusual. These signs suggested that Sun's political career was in trouble.
Investigation and Outcome
On July 24, 2017, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced that Sun was being investigated. He was accused of breaking party rules. This was a major event because Sun was a sitting Politburo member. He was the first such member to be investigated since Xi Jinping became the top leader.
Before his investigation, many believed Sun was being prepared for a very high leadership position. He was seen as a potential future leader of China. The investigation ended his political career.
On September 29, 2017, the commission announced the results of their investigation. They accused Sun of many serious wrongdoings. These included not following party rules, misusing his power, and taking valuable gifts. They also said he was lazy and lived a corrupt lifestyle. The investigation found evidence that he had accepted bribes and used his power to help others unfairly.
As a result, Sun was removed from the Chinese Communist Party. He was also formally removed from public service. On February 13, 2018, Sun was charged with bribery. He admitted his guilt in court on April 12, 2018. On May 8, 2018, Sun was sentenced to life imprisonment for accepting bribes worth about 170 million yuan.
Sun was a member of the 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. He was also a member of the 18th Central Committee until his expulsion.
Personal Life
Sun Zhengcai is married to Hu Ying. She is a professor at Capital Normal University. At one point, she was a visiting scholar at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. From 2005, she held a senior position at China Minsheng Bank. Sun and Hu Ying have one child, who attended Cornell University.
It was reported that Sun kept a special robe, like an emperor's dragon robe, in a room at his home. He reportedly prayed to it often. Media also reported that Sun enjoyed playing the mobile video game King of Glory. He would sometimes play the game before meetings and make his assistants wait while he finished a game in his car.
