Chen Xitong
| Chen Xitong | |
|---|---|
| 陈希同 | |
| 8th CPC Beijing Committee Secretary | |
|
In office October 1992 – September 1995 |
|
| Preceded by | Li Ximing |
| Succeeded by | Li Qiyan |
| 8th Mayor of Beijing | |
|
In office April 1983 – January 1993 |
|
| Preceded by | Jiao Ruoyu |
| Succeeded by | Wei Jianxing |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 10, 1930 Anyue, Sichuan |
| Died | June 2, 2013 (aged 82) Beijing |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Political party | Communist Party of China |
| Alma mater | Peking University |
Chen Xitong (Chinese: 陈希同; pinyin: Chén Xītóng; June 10, 1930 – June 2, 2013) was a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China and the Mayor of Beijing until he was removed from office on charges of corruption in 1995.
Chen was born on June 10, 1930, in Anyue, Sichuan Province. He attended Peking University at the age of 18 and joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1949.
Chen Xitong was the mayor of Beijing during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Years later, he said that he was "sorry" for the event of June 4, 1989, saying that no one should have died in the crackdown.
A onetime political rival to Jiang Zemin, Chen, being the leader of "Beijing clique", challenged Jiang's newly obtained authority during his presidency. This led to Chen's downfall in 1995 during an anti-corruption campaign led by Jiang's Shanghai clique. Some observers view Chen's downfall as a political struggle between Chen and Jiang. According to the book Conversations with Chen Xitong by Yao Jianfu, based on interviews with Chen, he denied the corruption charges brought against him, calling them "the worst miscarriage of justice involving a high-level leader since the Cultural Revolution, or since 1989... an absurd miscarriage of justice."
Chen's Vice Mayor, Wang Baosen, suicide in 1994 led to a confrontational power struggle between "Beijing clique" and "Shanghai clique". It was later stated that the amount of money Chen embezzled was directed to build vacational recreation centers which catered to most top-tier politicians in Beijing at the time. He was also accused of having extramarital affair with lover, He Ping. In 1998, Chen Xitong was given a 16-year jail sentence on charges of corruption and dereliction of duty. His son, Chen Xiaotong, was also sentenced. Chen was released early from Qincheng Prison in 2006, officially due to reasons of ill health.
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