(TibetanReview.net, Mar21’25) – Wu Yingjie, former Party chief of Tibet autonomous region (TAR), has pleaded guilty to bribery charges during a trial in Beijing on Mar 20, reported China’s official chinadaily.com.cn Mar 20.
The report cited prosecutors as saying Wu had accepted bribes worth more than 343 million yuan ($47.37 million) between Jun 2006 and Feb 2021 during his years of working in senior positions in TAR, including as the regional party secretary, vice-chairman of the regional government and head of the regional publicity department.
Prosecutors have told the court that Wu had used his positions to secure benefits for others in project contracting and business operations.
The Beijing No 3 Intermediate People’s Court has said a verdict will be announced at a later date.
The hearing was stated to have been attended by more than 50 people, including national lawmakers and political advisers.
Although a native of Shandong province, Wu, 68, grew up in TAR where he also began his career in 1974, joining the Communist Party of China in 1987.
After being transferred out of TAR in 2021, Wu served as deputy head of the National People’s Congress’ Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee between Oct 2021 and Mar 2023. And prior to his investigation in Jun 2024, he was a member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), serving as head of the CPPCC National Committee’s Committee on Cultural, Historical Data and Studies.
China’s party and government anti-corruption watchdogs have said Wu had violated Party disciplines and national laws, harming the region’s development. They have also accused him of failing to implement the Party’s strategy for governing Xizang and interfering with engineering projects for personal gain, the report said, using China’s Sinicized name for Tibet (or TAR).
Wu, who worked as the Party Secretary of TAR from 2016 to 2021, maintained a hardline approach toward Tibetan affairs, aligning closely with Beijing’s policies. His tenure was marked by a strong emphasis on Sinicization, ideological control, and stringent security measures. He prioritized political stability and Sinicization over Tibetan autonomy and cultural preservation. While occasionally speaking of respecting Tibetan customs, his actions were directed at the erosion of Tibetan identity under the guise of integration.