Midway through 2017, the trajectory of high-ranking Chinese Communist Party official Sun Zhengcai suggested that he would have a bright future in the regime. Sun ran the important commercial and industrial hub of Chongqing in southwestern China. At age 53, he was also one of the youngest members of the elite Politburo. Observers considered him to be a potential successor to Xi Jinping as leader of China. But Chinese state-run media announced on the morning of July 15 that Sun had been removed from office. He did not appear on the evening broadcast when the new Chongqing boss, Chen Min’er, was introduced to city officials. Chinese and Western media reported that Sun was in Beijing for questioning.
