Graft-buster named as head of China's spy agency as anti-corruption watchdog extends its power
Chen Wenqing becomes the third CCDI deputy chief to be appointed to senior position in a state bureau since Xi Jinping came to power
A former senior official at China's top graft-busting agency has been given the highest Communist Party job in state security, mainland media confirmed yesterday, signalling the agency is expanding its power.
Hebei -based confirmed the move on Thursday when it reported that Chen Wenqing , 55, a former deputy chief of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, toured the Xibaipo Memorial Museum on September 22 in his capacity as party chief of the Ministry of State Security. He remains a member of the commission.
Chen is the third CCDI deputy chief to be appointed to take a top job at another state bureau since President Xi Jinping took power more than three years ago. Wang Wei was put in charge of the Three Gorges Dam project in 2013, and Li Yubin was transferred to the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.
This manoeuvre seems like an expansion of power for the central anti-graft agency
Political observers said the move indicated that the CCDI was extending its reach as the anti-corruption drive rolled through more sectors and ministries.
"This manoeuvre seems like an expansion of power for the central anti-graft agency," Beijing-based political commentator Zhang Lifan said. "It's more like the anti-graft system becoming more intertwined with other bureaus."
Speculation that Chen would take up the new role began in earnest in April when his name was removed from the commission's leadership list.
On his tour of the museum, Chen reportedly watched a video on party history, and said cadres faced difficult conditions during the 1940s.
