Fang Hongwei, a member of the Shaanxi Provincial Standing Committee and Party Secretary of Xi’an, has been missing from several recent public events, fueling speculation about his status.
According to Ming Pao, Fang was detained by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) on Nov. 5 while on his way to inspect religious affairs in Xi’an’s Chang’an District. The paper cited local sources who said Fang had planned to make a public appearance to dispel rumors of his “disappearance.”
A businessman quoted by Ming Pao alleged that Fang’s family was notorious in Xi’an’s business circles for corruption. “His wife and sister were known for their enormous appetites,” the source said, referring to their reported influence in local projects.
Fang, 59, a native of Fuping County in Shaanxi — Xi Jinping’s hometown — was among the alternate Central Committee members passed over for promotion at the CCP’s 20th Central Committee Fourth Plenary Session, a move widely interpreted as a political warning.
Shaanxi authorities have not confirmed Fang’s detention, though insiders told Ming Pao that an official announcement could come at a local Party meeting later this week.
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Online reports describe Fang’s breakdown
Accounts circulating on social media depict a dramatic scene at the time of Fang’s arrest. Several posts on X (formerly Twitter) claimed that during a visit to Xi’an’s Guanyin Temple, Fang turned pale as CCDI officers approached. Witnesses said he trembled uncontrollably and appeared to lose bladder control in shock.
Independent commentator Jiang Wangzheng reported that Fang’s security and secretarial staff were detained simultaneously, while his wife was taken into custody by the Shaanxi provincial discipline authorities.
Analyst Tang Jingyuan noted that Fang’s importance lay not in his rank but in his personal ties. “He is both a hometown associate and a Tsinghua University alumnus of Xi Jinping — a dual bond that made him one of Xi’s trusted local allies,” Tang said in his program.
Tang added that Fang also maintained close ties with Xi’s younger brother, Xi Yuanping. “Even provincial leaders reportedly had to go through Fang to reach Xi Yuanping,” he said. Fang’s detention, Tang argued, shows that “even Xi’s family can no longer protect their Shaanxi network.”
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‘Party elders’ reportedly move to cut Xi’s local power
Political commentator Shan Hedongfu claimed in his online column that Fang’s detention was orchestrated by Party elders, including former president Hu Jintao and Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia, with operational help from former vice premier Hu Chunhua.
According to Shan, “the elders are severing Xi’s last remaining local lifeline — his Shaanxi base that once symbolized his rise.” The move, he said, represents a symbolic purge aimed at erasing Xi’s provincial power base.
Fang’s name appeared among eight alternate Central Committee members skipped for promotion during the Fourth Plenum — a list that also included several high-ranking military officers and senior officials from the Ministry of Education and Yunnan Province.
Analysts such as Li Yanming said the omissions point to ongoing investigations. “When so many members are skipped, it usually means probes are already underway,” Li told RFA Chinese.
The BBC, citing Wen-Ti Sung of the Atlantic Council, likewise noted that “those bypassed have a high likelihood of being under scrutiny.”
Xi’s authority further weakened
Eight alternate members of the CCP’s 20th Central Committee were quietly passed over for promotion during the Fourth Plenum — a rare signal that, analysts say, points to renewed investigations at the top.
Among them was Fang Hongwei, Party Secretary of Xi’an and a long-time political ally from Xi’s home province of Shaanxi. The others include senior generals Ding Xingnong, Wang Liyan, Wang Kangping, Fang Yongxiang, and Shi Zhenglu, as well as Vice Education Minister Wang Jiayi and Yunnan official Shi Yugang. Ding had already been bypassed once at the Third Plenum in July 2024.
The BBC, citing Wen-Ti Sung of the Atlantic Council, noted that those skipped “have a high likelihood of being under investigation.”
In a similar assessment, commentator Li Yanming told RFA Chinese that at least 36 members and alternates were absent from the plenum — an anomaly that, he said, “signals fierce infighting within the top ranks” and sets the stage for a sweeping post-plenum purge.
Fang’s reported detention after the session has reinforced those suspicions, with observers warning that the remaining seven may soon face the same fate.
Political analyst Tang Jingyuan added that the Fourth Plenum communiqué, far from confirming Xi’s dominance, “suggests his grip over the military is slipping.” The communiqué, he said, “can be rewritten, but the anti-Xi faction’s actions and policy decisions cannot be faked.”
Fang Hongwei, 59, has spent his entire career in Shaanxi, where Xi Jinping’s family roots run deep. A 1989 graduate of Tsinghua University, he worked for 26 years at Shaanxi Automobile Group before rising through the Party ranks — serving as vice mayor of Weinan, mayor and Party secretary of Hanzhong, and secretary-general of the provincial Party committee — before becoming Xi’an’s top official in 2021.
