Chen Xitong
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Chen Xitong (陈希同) (born June 1930) was a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China and the Mayor of Beijing until he was removed from office on charges of corruption in 1995. A graduate of Peking University, he shared close ties to Deng Xiaoping and his family. Chen was once considered a possible successor to Deng Xiaoping.
Chen Xitong was the Mayor of Beijing during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. He strongly advocated the use of force to quell the protests, and was responsible for the declaration of martial law in Beijing during the incident.
A onetime rival to Jiang Zemin, Chen's downfall came in 1995 during an anti-corruption campaign led by Jiang's Shanghai clique. Clique members Zeng Qinghong and Jia Qinglin played key roles in the campaign that eventually led to Chen's arrest; some observers view Chen's downfall as a political struggle between Chen and Jiang. In the wake of the charges, Chen's Vice Mayor, Wang Baosen, committed suicide. In 1998, Chen Xitong was given a 16 year jail sentence on charges of corruption and dereliction of duty. His son, Chen Xiaotong, was also sentenced. Chen was released early from jail in 2006, officially due to reasons of ill health.
