Ling Jihua

In this Chinese name, the family name is Ling (Linghu).

Ling Jihua
令计划
Ling Jihua in 2009
Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
In office 11 March 2013 –20 January 2015

From August 1983, Ling studied at the Communist Youth League Academy (later China Youth University of Political Studies), majoring in political education. In July 1985, Ling worked in the political theory section of the propaganda department of the Communist Youth League. At that time, Hu Jintao was the First Secretary (i.e., leader) of the Youth League, though it is not clear whether there was direct contact between Ling and Hu. From June 1988, Ling served in various posts in CYL, mostly as part of the CYL Secretariat and the CYL General Office. He also served as editor-in-chief of Chinese Communist Youth League, the primary theory publication of the CYL, and between 1994 and 1995, and the CYL's chief of propaganda.

In December 1995, after serving in CYL for over ten years, Ling was transferred to General Office of the Chinese Communist Party, and continued his work in political theory. Between 1994 and 1996 Ling obtained an "on-job master's degree" in commercial management at Hunan University. In June 1998, he was promoted to head of research office of the General Office (中央办公厅调研室主任). In December 1999, Ling was appointed as deputy director of General Office. Later, he also served as the deputy chief of the General Office in charge of the Central Institutional Organization Commission, and chief of staff of the Office of General Secretary Hu Jintao.

On September 19, 2007, Ling was promoted to become Director of General Office of the Chinese Communist Party, the nerve center of the party that was in charge of all manner of administrative activities of the party's central authorities, including communications and leaders' scheduling and agendas. He also became a Secretary of the Central Secretariat, in charge of the implementation of tasks set forth by the party's Politburo.^{[ citation needed ]}

Son's Ferrari crash

Throughout Hu Jintao's leadership, Ling accompanied Hu on trips abroad and was often seen with Hu on inspection visits around the country. As one of Hu Jintao's closest associates and most trusted advisors, in addition to being of an appropriate level of seniority, Ling seemed long destined for higher office. Ling's political fortunes, however, took an abrupt turn in 2012. On March 18, Ling's only son, 23-year-old Ling Gu, was killed in a car crash on Beijing's 4th Ring Road while driving a black ^[1] Ferrari 458 Spider accompanied by two women, reportedly of Tibetan ethnicity, one of which who also died. ^{[5] [6]} Ling Gu was said to have been found naked, and the women were described as either naked or otherwise "scantily clad," which seemed to suggest sexual activity while driving. ^[7] While this account was later disputed, the widely discussed "Ferrari crash" was juicy tabloid fodder and exacerbated public cynicism over the debauchery and conspicuous consumption often associated with children of the Communist ruling elite. ^[8]

News of the crash was reported in mainland Chinese media shortly after it happened, but the story was then rapidly suppressed. ^[9] Reportedly, Ling Jihua, after viewing the body of the driver at the morgue, denied it was his son. ^[10] Ling was also said to have mobilized staff from the Central Security Bureau, an organ in charge of national leaders' security which reported into the General Office, to cover up the crash. ^[11] Chinese media also reported that Ling had contacted Zhou Yongkang, then chief of the powerful Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, to reach unspecified "political deals" in exchange for assistance on covering up the death of his son. ^[12] Ling then went on to work as normal. ^[13] In China, Internet search terms such as "Ferrari", "Little Ling" and "Prince Ling" were blocked, and a message dispelling the rumour was also posted under Ling Gu's social media alias "Wang Ziyun". ^{[7] [6]} In November 2012, an 'exclusive' from the South China Morning Post reported that Jiang Jiemin, a former associate of Zhou Yongkang then serving as chief executive of China National Petroleum Corporation, wired money from the company's accounts to the families of the two women involved in the crash to keep silent about the crash. ^[5]

Despite media censorship regarding the event, news of the crash was widely circulated in China. The incident was also later reported on major international media, including the Wall Street Journal and Reuters. Online Chinese-language communities also questioned how Ling Gu could afford a car worth some $500,000 when his parents had government jobs. ^[7] The crash and subsequent suppression was said to have led to Ling Jihua's demotion in August 2012, ^{[1] [7]} and his wife Gu Liping's removal from her job in January 2013. ^[14]

Demotion and investigation

On September 1, 2012, prior to the transfer of power between Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping at the pivotal 18th Party Congress, Ling was abruptly transferred from his position as General Office chief to become head of the United Front Work Department, an organ considered to be of less importance. Li Zhanshu, a close associate with Xi Jinping, has replaced Ling's position as Director of General Office. This was seen as a demotion for Ling. At the 18th Party Congress held in the fall of 2012, Ling did not gain a seat on the Politburo as expected, nor did he retain his position as Secretary of the Secretariat; this signalled that Ling was excluded from all the major power organs of the party. ^[12] In March 2013, Ling was elected as one of the vice-chairmen of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), barely holding onto his status as a "national leader". In addition, of the 23 candidates standing for confirmation for the CPPCC Vice-Chairmanship, Ling received, by far, the fewest votes in favour. A total of 90 CPPCC delegates voted against Ling, while 22 delegates abstained. ^[15]

In the latter half of 2014, members of the Ling family were successively detained by the authorities (see "Family" section below). Moreover, an unprecedented number of high-ranking officials in Ling's native Shanxi province were investigated for corruption and removed from office. Rumours circulated about Ling's own fate. Ling was officially placed under investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (party's anti-graft agency) on December 22, 2014, and dismissed from his position as United Front Work Department head about a week later. ^[2] The CPPCC then removed him from the office of vice-chairman in February 2015, in addition to stripping him of his ordinary CPPCC delegate status. ^[16]

Several weeks prior to the announcement of the investigation, Ling continued to make appearances on state television in his positions of CPPCC Vice Chairman and United Front chief. On December 15 Ling had penned an article on the Communist theory publication Qiushi brimming with praise for the signature political philosophies of Xi Jinping such as the "Chinese Dream". This was seen by observers as a 'last-ditch' declaration of fealty to the new Chinese leader with whom Ling was thought to have lost favour. ^[12]

Ling was one of the highest-profile targets (next to Zhou Yongkang and Xu Caihou) of the anti-corruption campaign following the 18th Party Congress spearheaded by Party General secretary Xi Jinping and central discipline chief Wang Qishan. He was the second sitting "national leader"-level figure to be investigated by the party's anti-graft agency, after CPPCC Vice-chairman Su Rong. Chinese-language media have linked Ling to a mysterious political network composed of prominent politicians and businesspeople with origins in Shanxi called the Xishan Society. ^[17]

Detention and trial

On July 20, 2015, Ling was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party, ^[18] and was arrested to face criminal proceedings. ^[19] Ling's case received significant media attention, since he was the most prominent political figure expelled from the party since criminal proceedings were initiated against former Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang. In the party's disciplinary dossier against Ling, he was accused of "violating political discipline, violating political rules, violating organizational discipline, and violating confidentiality discipline." He was further accused of taking in large bribes, aiding in the business interests of his wife, sexual misconduct with "numerous women", and illegally obtaining party and state secrets. ^[20]

On May 13, 2016, the No. 1 branch of Tianjin Municipal People's Procuratorate filed suit against Ling on behalf of the state at the No. 1 Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin. ^[21] On July 4, 2016, after a closed-door trial, Ling was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was convicted on charges of taking bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power. Upon hearing his sentence, Ling read aloud from a prepared script stating that he did not contest the conviction and "thanked" the court and the lawyers for their work, and used a Chinese idiom (kegu mingxin) to describe how unforgettable the trial had been to him.^{[ citation needed ]}

The sentencing revealed many details which were previously unknown. The conviction stated that Ling had sought to use his influence to advance the interests of senior regional officials Li Chuncheng, Pan Yiyang, and Bai Enpei; all three had fallen under the axe of the anti-corruption campaign though their links to Ling were unclear prior to the conviction. It also stated that his wife, Gu Liping, and his son, Ling Gu, had taken some bribes on behalf of the Ling family. Ling Gu was said to have solicited bribes worth some 6.5 million yuan (~$1 million) from Wei Xin, a senior executive of Founder Group. Ling and his wife, Gu Liping, additionally were said to have received some 15 million yuan (~$2.3 million) from Guangsha Group, in exchange for political favours from Ling. ^[22] Following his departure from the General Office, it was said that Ling gained access to privileged state secrets through his former subordinate Huo Ke, who was also indicted and tried. ^[3]

Ling was an alternate member of 16th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, a full member of 17th and 18th Central Committees, and a member of the 17th Central Secretariat. Ling was expelled from the 18th Central Committee at the Fifth Plenary Session in October 2015.^{[ citation needed ]}

Family

Ling is married to Gu Liping (谷丽萍), the former director-general of Youth Business China a non-profit program that aims to promote youth entrepreneurship that is headquartered in Beijing. In 2010 she was deputy director of the Ying Public Interest Foundation, a charity sponsored by the Communist Youth League. In that role she reportedly solicited donations for the foundation. ^[14] Gu was thought to be placed in custody prior to the initiation of the investigation on Ling Jihua.^{[ citation needed ]}

Ling and Gu had one son, Ling Gu (令谷; born c. 1989), alias Wang Ziyun (王子云), who majored in international relations at Peking University. Ling Gu died in March 2012 at the age of 23 in the aforementioned Ferrari crash. ^[7]

Ling had three brothers and one sister. His eldest brother, Ling Fangzhen (令方针), was in the military, and died after a fall while cleaning windows in 1977. Ling's second eldest brother, Ling Zhengce, was a provincial-level politician in Shanxi Province. Zhengce was placed under investigation by the Communist Party's anti-graft agency in June 2014. His sister, Linghu Luxian (令狐路线), was a hospital executive in the city of Yuncheng, and was married to the city's Vice-Mayor Wang Jiankang (王健康); the couple disappeared from public view for several months in 2014, suspected of being placed under investigation, but re-appeared later on. Ling's younger brother Ling Wancheng was a businessman and golf enthusiast, who was initially reported to be detained by the authorities, but later found to have fled to the United States.^{[ citation needed ]}

Notes

1. Chinese :令计划; pinyin :Lìng Jìhuà

References

1. Mosettig, Michael D. (November 7, 2012). "Red Ferraris in Red China". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
2. 令计划涉嫌严重违纪正接受组织调查 (in Chinese). Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. 2014-12-22. Archived from the original on 2014-12-23. Retrieved 2014-12-22.
3. "Chinese court jails former presidential aide Ling Jihua for life". The Guardian. 4 July 2016.
4. "令计划官方简历". People.cn. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
5. Staff Reporters (November 14, 2012). "Exclusive: oil chief quizzed over massive cash transfers in Ferrari crash cover-up". South China Morning Post.
6. Ansfield, Jonathan (December 4, 2012). "How Crash Cover-Up Altered China's Succession". The New York Times.
7. Hall, John (September 5, 2012). "Son of Chinese politician died after engaging in 'sex games' with two women while driving at high speed in his Ferrari" . Independent. London. Archived from the original on 2022-06-14. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
8. 目击者惊曝内情：令计划儿子死时非裸体. Duowei News.
9. "Online restrictions after China Ferrari crash - media". BBC News. March 20, 2012.
10. Nicholas D. Kristof (January 5, 2013). "Looking for a Jump-Start in China" (opinion). The New York Times. Retrieved January 6, 2013. Ling feared a scandal and reportedly began a cover-up. He went to the morgue, according to the account I got from one Chinese official, and looked at the body — and then coldly denied that it was his son. He continued to work in the following weeks as if nothing had happened.
11. 神秘的法拉利车祸. The Wall Street Journal. October 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
12. 陆媒：令计划与周永康薄熙来有同盟关系. Duowei. December 22, 2014.
13. "Beijing car crash opens door to another scandal in China". Los Angeles Times. September 3, 2012.
14. "PREMIER LEAGUE: After fatal Ferrari crash, careers are stalled, group loses power". The Asahi Shimbun. March 5, 2013. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
15. Wang, Jinbo. 第十二届全国政协副主席选举投票数据分析. China in perspective.
    The candidate with the second most votes in opposition was Chen Yuan, who received 27 votes against.
16. 令计划被免去全国政协副主席职务. Ifeng. February 28, 2015.
17. Wang, Ya (December 24, 2014). 西山会引爆舆论 令计划的政治图谋. Duowei News. Archived from the original on 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
18. "中共中央决定给予令计划开除党籍开除公职处分". Xinhua News Agency. 2015-07-20.
19. 检察机关依法决定对令计划立案侦查. Xinhua News Agency. 2015-07-20.
20. 中共中央决定给予令计划开除党籍开除公职处分 将令计划涉嫌犯罪问题及线索移送司法机关依法处理. Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. July 20, 2015. Archived from the original on August 6, 2015.
21. "Ling Jihua officially charged, to face trial in Tianjin". Xinhua News Agency. 2016-05-13. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016.
22. "Ling Jihua, former Chinese presidential aide, sentenced to life in prison". South China Morning Post. July 4, 2016.

External links

• Chinavitae

Party political offices
Preceded by Du Qinglin	Head of the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party 2012–2014	Succeeded by Sun Chunlan
Preceded by Wang Gang	Director of the General Office of the Chinese Communist Party 2007–2012	Succeeded by Li Zhanshu