Liu Tienan
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Liu Tienan (; born October 1954) is a former Chinese politician and senior economic official. He served as the director of the National Energy Administration between 2011 and 2013, the deputy director of the
National Development and Reform Commission The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is the third-ranked executive department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, which functions as a macroeconomic management agency. Established as the State Planning C ...
(NDRC) from 2008 to 2011, and deputy director of the Revitalizing Old Industrial Bases in Northeast China Special Working Group between 2006 and 2008. In 2013, Liu was investigated and dismissed for corruption-related offenses. In December 2014, Liu was convicted on charges of bribery, and sentenced to life in prison. Several other politicians working with Liu at the NDRC, including Xu Yongsheng and Wei Pengyuan, were charged with corruption as well, with Wei being given the death penalty.


Biography


Early life

Liu was born in
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
in October 1954, with his
ancestral home An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a ...
in Qi County,
Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...
. Liu graduated from Beijing University of Science and Technology and
Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU or NEU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by the Boston Young Men's Christian Association in 1898 as an all-male instit ...
.党的十八大代表中 北科大校友名单,北京科技大学东凌经管学院,2012-12-21
/ref> Liu joined the
Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
in June 1976. In 1983, he worked as an officer in State Planning Commission until 1996. Liu worked at the Chinese foreign mission to Japan as an economic liaison officer between 1996 and 1999. While he worked at the embassy, Liu met a woman surnamed "Xu", who was studying for her doctorate degree at the time and also working as an interpreter. Liu reportedly began a romantic relationship with Xu soon after. Xu subsequently migrated to Canada. While in Japan Liu earned an honorary degree at Nagoya City University, reportedly with Xu's help.


Alleged business interests in Canada

The most serious allegation against Liu centers around his relationship with businessman Ni Ritao (). In 2003, Liu met with Ni during the re-structuring of the latter's paper products company. Ni Ritao, a native of
Wenzhou Wenzhou; Chinese postal romanization, historically known as Wenchow is a prefecture-level city in China's Zhejiang province. Wenzhou is located at the extreme southeast of Zhejiang, bordering Lishui, Zhejiang, Lishui to the west, Taizhou, Zheji ...
, was in the process of acquiring a large number of state-owned assets in the paper-making industry. As Liu's department had jurisdiction over the re-structuring process of Ni's company, the two developed a working relationship. Ni allegedly grew his businesses through building relationships with various state agency officials, including Liu. Many officials and their children reportedly became top shareholders or were listed as executives in Ni's business ventures. Chinese media reported that Liu, along with the help of his wife Guo Jinghua (), his son Liu Decheng (), and his mistress Xu, worked together with Ni to set up several corporations in the
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
area in Canada. One of these companies, CGR Investments Inc., was set up in the province of
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, with 90% of the initial equity owned by Ni, and 10% owned by Guo. In addition, Ni also set up another corporation called "Sun Wave Investments Ltd." (). Xu was listed as the chief executive for both companies. CGR was registered to a private residence in the Vancouver suburb of
Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard In ...
; its listed headquarters was then moved to a commercial building in
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
. Once Liu Decheng reached the age of majority and began studying in Canada, he took over his mother's shares in CGR in December 2005. It was unclear what kind of business CGR operated in. In addition, Ni also set up a series of corporations under the "Sun Wave" umbrella, many of which were
shell corporation A shell corporation is a company or corporation with no significant assets or operations often formed to obtain financing before beginning business. Shell companies were primarily vehicles for lawfully hiding the identity of their beneficial ...
s which never had operational activities. It was alleged that Liu used his influence to secure a $100-million loan from The Export-Import Bank of China and the
China Minsheng Bank China Minsheng Bank () is a significant Chinese bank, founded in 1996 by lawyer and businessman Jing Shuping. It was the first bank to be established with an ownership base of private sector shareholders, as part of Chinese economic reform led ...
in Ni's purchase of the New Skeena Pulp Mill located in the city of
Prince Rupert Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 ( O.S.) 7 December 1619 (N.S.)– 29 November 1682 (O.S.) December 1682 (N.S) was an English-German army officer, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor. He first rose to ...
, an asset that was already indirectly under the control of Ni through one of his corporate vehicles.


Career in NDRC

In 1999, Liu was appointed as the vice-chairman of State Development Planning Commission, an agency that oversaw regulations for some state-owned enterprises. The
National Development and Reform Commission The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is the third-ranked executive department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, which functions as a macroeconomic management agency. Established as the State Planning C ...
was founded in 2003 and took over some of the responsibilities of the Planning Commission, and Liu became a director of its Industry Department, as well as a senior official in the special working group on revitalizing the economy of
Northeastern China Northeast China () is a geographical region of China, consisting officially of three provinces Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The heartland of the region is the Northeast China Plain, the largest plain in China with an area of over . The regi ...
. At year-end review meetings in 2005, Liu allegedly said that he would decline banquet invitations (frequently seen as venues to curry favours from officials) from anyone below the level of a provincial governor. Liu's superior Song Xiaowu said that Liu frequently conducted himself in a high-profile manner, often having police vehicles escort his entourage to ensure smooth flow of traffic on his trips to the provinces. During the NDRC's performance evaluations of civil servants in 2006, Liu was put up for promotion, but was allegedly rebuffed by some of his colleagues for his apparently "arrogant" behavior. Nonetheless, he was still appointed to become the deputy director of the Northeast China working group at the end of 2006, which placed him at the same rank as a Deputy Minister. Liu was critical of the policies of his then-superior
Zhang Guobao Zhang Guobao (; November 1944 – 4 October 2019) was a Chinese government official who served as Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission. Biography Zhang was born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, in November 1944. He graduated fro ...
. In March 2008, Liu was appointed as the vice-chairman of
National Development and Reform Commission The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is the third-ranked executive department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, which functions as a macroeconomic management agency. Established as the State Planning C ...
. In December 2010, Liu was appointed as the chairman of National Energy Administration, a body under the NDRC that oversees energy affairs in China. In September 2011, Liu gained a seat on the powerful
National Energy Commission The National Energy Commission (NEC; ) is an interdepartmental coordinating agency of the People's Republic of China, State Council that coordinates the overall energy policies for the People's Republic of China. The body includes 23 members from ...
, a supra-ministerial energy coordination body that was chaired by the premier. In November 2011, ''Caijing'' Magazine reported that Liu's wife and son held shares in overseas companies, but did not directly mention Liu by name. Liu's alleged haughty behavior alienated many officials in the department. In May 2012, many senior retired officials signed a joint letter to the
Central Commission for Discipline Inspection The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) is the highest supervisory organ of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCDI is elected and supervised by the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, CCP National Congress. ...
, China's top anti-corruption body, to report Liu's alleged corrupt behaviors.


Investigation and arrest

On December 6, 2012, the deputy chief editor of ''
Caijing ''Caijing'' is an independent magazine based in Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by ...
'' magazine, Luo Changping, reported Liu to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Luo outlined three allegations against Liu Tienan. Luo promptly posted these allegations to his public ''
Weibo Weibo (), or Sina Weibo (), is a Chinese microblogging ( weibo) website. Launched by Sina Corporation on 14 August 2009, it is one of the biggest social media platforms in China, with over 582 million monthly active users (252 million daily ac ...
'' account; namely, that Liu Tienan faked his academic credentials, that Liu received large kickbacks from businessman Ni Ritao in the overseas bank loan fraud scheme, and that Liu issued death threats to his mistress after the relationship between the two had gone sour. At the time the story broke, Liu was on a trip to Russia participating at a Sino-Russian energy conference with Vice-Premier
Wang Qishan Wang Qishan (; ; born 19 July 1948) is a Chinese retired politician who was one of the leading members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Wang gained prominence in China's financial sector in the late 1980s. In 1994, Wang became the governor ...
. Liu issued a vehement denial of the allegations, calling them "lies and slander", and vowed to take legal action. Despite Liu's denials of wrongdoing, party authorities had already begun investigating Liu behind closed doors as early as June 2012. As a result of these investigations, Liu's political fate was sealed. Liu was denied a seat on the Communist Party's Central Committee, as well as a seat on the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s United front (China), united front system. Its members adv ...
, a largely ceremonial legislative consultation body. Liu's son was detained by the authorities in January 2013. In the formation of the
Li Keqiang Li Keqiang ( zh, s=李克强, p=Lǐ Kèqiáng; 3 July 1955 – 27 October 2023) was a Chinese economist and politician who served as the seventh premier of China from 2013 to 2023. He was also the second-ranked member of the Politburo Standing ...
government in March, Liu left office as the head of the NEA, and was succeeded by Wu Xinxiong. At around 11 pm on Saturday, May 11, 2013, Liu and his wife Guo Jinghua were taken into custody from their
Muxidi Muxidi Station () is a station on Line 1 of the Beijing Subway. The Line 16 station opened on December 31, 2022, and currently serves as an out-of-system interchange (OSI) with Line 1. It will connect with Line 18 in the future. Station lay ...
-area apartment in Beijing by the
Central Commission for Discipline Inspection The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) is the highest supervisory organ of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCDI is elected and supervised by the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, CCP National Congress. ...
(CCDI). A day later, the CCDI publicly announced that Liu was under investigation for corruption, thus making him one of the first 'casualties' of the widespread campaign against corruption initiated under
Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...
,
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party The general secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party ( zh, s=中国共产党中央委员会总书记, p=Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhōngyāng Wěiyuánhuì Zǒngshūjì) is the leader of the Chinese Communist Part ...
. On May 14, 2013, Liu was dismissed from his position as vice-chairman of the NDRC. On August 8, Liu was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party.


Trial and sentencing

Liu's trial began in September 2014 at the Langfang Intermediate People's Court in
Langfang Langfang is a prefecture-level city of Hebei Province of China, Province, China, and was known as Tianjin Prefecture until 1973. It was renamed Langfang Prefecture after Tianjin became a Direct-controlled municipalities of China, municipality ...
,
Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...
, a municipality situated near Beijing. The trial, one of the highest profile since that of Chongqing party chief
Bo Xilai Bo Xilai ( zh, s=薄熙来, p=Bó Xīlái; born 3 July 1949) is a Chinese former politician who was convicted on bribery and embezzlement charges. He came to prominence through his tenures as Mayor of Dalian and then the governor of Liaoning. ...
, was a partially televised affair that drew national attention. The prosecution alleged that Liu received bribes and kickbacks for furthering the interests of numerous companies between 2002 and 2012. Liu was said to have accepted the equivalent of about 35.6 million yuan ($5.8 million) together with his son, Decheng, in return for favours to business people acquainted with him. The prosecution alleged that Liu received in bribes a
Nissan Teana The is a mid-size sedan produced by Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan. It was exported as the Nissan Maxima and Nissan Cefiro to certain markets. It replaces the Nissan Bluebird, Laurel and Cefiro. It shares a platform with the Nissan M ...
, renovations to his Muxidi apartment, as well as a suburban Beijing villa and a
Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...
for his son. On September 24, Liu issued a final statement to the court. In the statement, Liu said he intended to cooperate with the court and take "any punishment meted out by the law". He also said he had been taking sleeping pills, having been unable to rest due to the guilt over his having ruined his son's future. He issued apologies to his parents and his wife. He also said that he should be used as a "counter example" of what not to do as a high official. On December 10, Liu was convicted on bribery charges, and sentenced to life in prison. The state also confiscated all of his personal property.


Personal life

Liu married Guo Jinghua (), their son, Liu Decheng (), was born in 1985. At the age of 18, Liu Decheng began to study in Canada. In 1996, Liu met his future mistress, a woman surnamed Xu, in Japan; Xu subsequently emigrated to Canada, but their romantic relationship continued. Sometime later, the two had a dispute and the relationship ended. Thereafter, Xu reportedly sent materials related to the overseas loan schemes to various media outlets. Journalist Luo Changping asserted in ''Datieji'', a chronicle about the investigation into Liu Tienan, that Liu was part of a "secret society" style political alliance known as the " Xishan Society". The group was said to have been gathering in the western hills of Beijing since 2007 and consisted of high officials with ties to Shanxi province.


See also

* Xu Yongsheng * Wei Pengyuan


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Tienan 1954 births Chinese Communist Party politicians from Beijing Living people People's Republic of China politicians from Beijing People expelled from the Chinese Communist Party in 2013 Chinese politicians convicted of corruption Purged Chinese politicians