Economic Observer Online
By Zhang Xiaohui(张晓晖) and Lin Ping (林平)
Mar 26, 2012
Translated by Pang Lei
Original Article: [Chinese]

The EO has learned that a secretary of a communist party committee in a district of Chongqing is under investigation.

According to a variety of sources, Xia Zeliang (夏泽良), the secretary of the Nan'an District Committee, was taken away by the relevant department for investigation on March 21, it's still unclear why Mr. Xia is being investigated.

Nan'an is is one of the six central districts of Chongqing.

Mr. Xia is the first politician at bureau-level to be investigated since Zhang Dejiang, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier, was appointed to the position of Party Secretary in Chongqing on March 15.

A reporter from the EO has been trying to call Mr. Xia since March 22, but each time his phone was unable to accept calls.

When contacted by the EO, a representative from the Nan'an District's communication office told our journalist that the situation with to Xia Zeliang is unclear.

Xia Zeliang was born in 1961, he served as deputy police chief in Fengdu County, was deputy secretary of the Fuling Transportation Bureau, deputy secretary of Bishan County, deputy secretary of Chongqing's Ba'nan District, party secretary of the Rongchang county party committee and committee member and secretary of the Nan'an District party committee.

Those familiar with Xia Zeliang, told the EO that he kept a low profile and that he had been enrolled in a distance learning course majoring in economics and management.

In October 2009, Xia was promoted to the position of party secretary of Chongqing's Nan'an District.

On the day before Xia was taken away by authorities (March 20), an EO journalist attended a press conference at the Sheraton Hotel in Chongqing at which Xia Zeliang appeared.

Since that press conference, Xia Zeliang has not appeared in public again.