Man behind China’s first approved Covid-19 shot expelled from national legislature
- Yang Xiaoming, 62, is accused of ‘serious violations of discipline and law’, NPC Standing Committee says
- Removal of veteran researcher and feted Covid-19 warrior comes amid sweeping corruption crackdown on China’s healthcare sector
Yang Xiaoming was removed from his post as a deputy of the legislature for alleged “serious violations of discipline and law”, the National People’s Congress (NPC) said in an official statement on Friday, using a common euphemism for corruption.
Yang, 62, is a veteran researcher and former chairman of China National Biotec Group, a vaccine subsidiary of state-owned Sinopharm. He led a team that developed Sinopharm’s BBIBP-CorV vaccine, China’s first coronavirus shot approved for general use.
The NPC statement, which followed a four-day meeting of its standing committee, suggests Yang is already being investigated by the party disciplinary body – the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
The Sinopharm shot and Sinovac Biotech’s CoronaVac were the most widely used in China and the leading Covid-19 vaccines exported by the country.
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Yang’s dismissal comes amid the biggest crackdown on China’s healthcare system, expanding a sweeping anti-corruption drive launched by President Xi Jinping in late 2012.
