Former Guizhou Party secretary Sun Zhigang under investigation

Sun Zhigang, the former Party secretary of Guizhou province, is under investigation for serious disciplinary and legal violations, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission announced on Monday.

Sun, 69, was born in Xingyang, Henan province, in May 1954. He joined the workforce in February 1971 and became a member of the Communist Party in September 1976. He holds a postgraduate degree and a PhD in economics.

Sun's early career included a role as a teacher at Wuhan Iron and Steel Institute. After completing his master's degree in industrial economics at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, he worked at the Economic Research Institute of South-Central University of Economics and Finance. In 1985, he was appointed deputy director of the economic committee of Wuhan.

Sun held a number of other positions in Wuhan, including deputy director of the reform committee, deputy director of the planning committee, district head of Hanyang district, deputy mayor of Wuhan.

In 2002, Sun was appointed a member of the Standing Committee of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee.

In 2006, he was transferred to Anhui province, where he served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee and deputy governor.

In 2010, Sun was appointed to the National Development and Reform Commission as deputy director, concurrently serving as director of the State Council Leading Group Office for Healthcare Reform.

In 2015, Sun was appointed governor of Guizhou province. In 2017, he was appointed Party Secretary of Guizhou province, a role he held until 2020.

The investigation into Sun is the latest in a series of high-profile cases involving senior officials. The crackdown on corruption is part of a broader effort to uphold discipline and integrity within the Party's ranks.