Qinghai Provincial Party Secretary: Profoundly Learn from the Lessons of the Tragedy of Illegal Mining in Muli and the Chaos in Qinghai Lake Tourism

Recently, the 11th issue of “Party Building Research” in 2024 published a signed article by Chen Gang, Secretary of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee, titled “Strengthening Leadership Teams at All Levels to Provide a Strong Guarantee for the Construction of a Modern New Qinghai”.
Chen Gang stated that Qinghai connects the east and west, links Xinjiang and Tibet, and nearly 90% of its area is restricted or prohibited from development. Its ecological security, territorial security, and resource and energy security are of great importance. We deeply understand that to promote high-quality development in Qinghai, the key is to accurately grasp Qinghai’s strategic positioning in the overall national situation, fully leverage its inherent advantages, and adhere to the principle of knowing what to do and what not to do, so that we can make greater progress in advancing ecological protection and high-quality development on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Regarding the rectification of misplaced views on political achievements, the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee held a plenary session to further clarify the ideological understanding that “ecological protection does not mean no development, accelerated development does not mean rushing ahead recklessly, comprehensive strictness does not hinder development, and difficult conditions are not a reason for complacency”. It also clarified the dialectical relationship of “adhering to the coordination of local and overall interests, connecting the present and the future, synergizing internal and external forces, and balancing what to do and what not to do”. Drawing profound lessons from the chaotic mining in Muri, the tourism chaos in Qinghai Lake, and the unordered development of salt lake resources, we strive to promote leadership teams and leading cadres to firmly establish and practice a correct view on political achievements.
He indicated that Qinghai adheres to the principle of ecological protection first, not stopping at achieving standards for air, water, and soil quality, but also focusing on measuring outcomes such as biodiversity and the transformation of the “Two Mountains” theory. Qinghai has formulated an overall plan and implementation scheme for building an ecological civilization highland, compiled an overall plan for the modernization of a nature reserve system centered on national parks, and become the only province in China with three national parks under construction. It coordinates the integrated protection and systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grassland, and deserts. The area of desertification and sandification has shown a “double decrease”, with the proportion of days with excellent air quality reaching over 96%, and it provides 60 to over 90 billion cubic meters of source water for downstream areas each year.
Chen Gang also mentioned that we deeply understand that the key to comprehensively strengthening party discipline lies in strictness, the crux is in governance, the emphasis is on genuine and strict management, and the essence is in precise governance. We must adhere to the combination of strict management and care, build a loyal, clean, and responsible leadership team, foster a political ecology of integrity and uprightness, and rally the enterprising forces for work and entrepreneurship.
He stated that last year, six leading cadres seriously violated the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulations, which attracted widespread attention nationwide. The provincial party committee insisted on viewing and investigating the issue from a political perspective, with a resolute attitude and determination to take serious actions in accordance with regulations, discipline, and law. It deployed special education and rectification campaigns to promote reforms based on cases and address prominent issues in work style. It revised several measures for implementing the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulations and its detailed implementation rules, and introduced the “Ten Prohibitions” and “Nine Measures” for thoroughly rectifying irregular dining and drinking, creating an atmosphere where violations are “not dared” in a relatively short period and gradually forming a climate where violations are “not possible” and “not desired”.
In 2023, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission conducted a higher-level review and investigation, and guided the Qinghai Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervisory Commission to seriously investigate and publicly announce the issue of six party member leading cadres in Qinghai who seriously violated the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulations during a training course for major party and government leading cadres in Qinghai to study and implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
Upon investigation, from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM on December 11, 2022, during the training course for major party and government leading cadres in Qinghai to study and implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Shi Cunwu, then a member of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee, member of the Provincial Government Party Group, and Secretary-General, organized Li Qingchuan, then a member of the Provincial Party Committee, Party Secretary and Director of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wang Xuewen, a member of the Provincial Party Committee, Party Secretary and Director of the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Duo Jie, a member of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Party Committee, Hong Tao, Party Secretary and Director of the Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and Tao Yongli, Party Secretary and Chairman of the Provincial Transportation Holding Group Co., Ltd., to gather for a drinking party in the dormitories of the Provincial Party School. Shi Cunwu used his power to request the provincial government office canteen to provide and arrange for official vehicles to transport dishes, while Li Qingchuan provided eight bottles of liquor. The six individuals consumed seven bottles of liquor that night. The next day, Shi Cunwu was absent from a relevant provincial meeting due to excessive drinking, and Duo Jie was found dead in the dormitories.
The Paper noted that at the National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference this year, Chen Gang responded to this incident, saying that it was a painful and wounding experience for Qinghai cadres, but exposing and addressing the wound would help it heal faster.
“This incident serves as a wake-up call for Qinghai,” Chen Gang explained. When this happened, our provincial party committee’s attitude was to seriously investigate and punish not only the incident itself but also the reasons behind it. Through our subsequent investigation, we found that these six leading cadres had not gathered to drink alcohol for the first time in Qinghai; they had done so multiple times and had formed a small clique.
“Some people also told me that cadres in Qinghai have it tough, living in the plateau, and suggested that the provincial party committee just go through the motions,” Chen Gang said at that time. We will never do such things lightly; we will say what we mean and mean what we say.