Former Yunnan Party chief, 68, surrenders to authorities

Qin Guangrong, former Party chief of Yunnan province, is being investigated for serious violations of discipline and law by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission.

According to a statement issued by the anti-graft authorities on Thursday, the 68-year-old gave himself up voluntarily.

Born in 1950 in Hunan province, Qin joined the Communist Party of China in 1972 and started to work three years later in Hunan province. He was appointed Party chief of Changsha, Hunan's capital, in 1993.

Qin has worked in Yunnan province since 1999. He took the position of vice-governor of Yunnan in 2003 and became acting governor in 2006. He became the province's Party chief in 2011. He was named deputy head of the Internal and Judicial Affairs Committee of the 12th National People's Congress in November 2014.

Qin's surrender marks the downfall of two successive Party chiefs in Yunnan. Qin's predecessor, Bai Enpei, was appointed Party chief of Yunnan in 2001, when Qin was the head of Yunnan's Organization Department. Qin replaced Bai in 2011.

In October 2016, Bai was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for accepting bribes of 247 million yuan ($36.2 million). After his reprieve, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment without possibility of commutation or parole.

In 2013, the fifth inspection group of the CPC Central Committee inspected Yunnan province. The group found problems in the province's Party conduct, implementation of the eight-point frugality code and the selection and appointment of cadres.

Yang Zekun contributed to this story.