Business group of Ling Jihua's nephew touted top official ties
Network of companies owned by Linghu Jian and his mother boasted of 'good government relations', according to media report
Mainland media unleashed an exposé on the business dealings of Ling Jihua's nephew and his mother, focusing on a public relations and advertising business that comprised clients across many government agencies, multinational corporations and well-known private firms.
Ling took in Linghu Jian after his eldest brother passed away. Linghu is the family's original surname, which some members of the clan continue to use.
Linghu Jian and his mother, Sun Shumin, established a series of advertising, public relations and exhibition companies between 2002 and 2005, with many of them bearing the name Qiangshi, which translates as "powerful", according to mainland-based news outlet Caixin.
The companies boasted of their "good government relations and strong media ties". According to the report, Sun had a stake in at least 10 companies.
The network had a roster of high-profile clients, ranging from top state enterprises, party and government agencies, and major foreign multinationals, it said.
In a profile on one company's website, it boasted it served China Mobile, Sinopec, Coca-Cola, Unilever, the Communist Youth League, and China Red Cross Society, as well as Hanban - which oversees the Confucius Institutes.
In one recruitment advertisement, an advertising subsidiary claimed it had "extensive cooperative relations with central ministries and commissions", the report said.
