Tang Aijun

Tang was born and raised in Tuquan County of Hinggan League in Inner Mongolia, China.

Tang graduated from Jilin University of Technology (Jilin University) in January 1977.

Tang started his career in politics in November 1970. Tang joined the Communist Party of China in October 1972.

Beginning in 1970, he served in several posts in Tuquan County, including worker, production team leader, and factory manager. In December 1983 he became the Deputy County Mayor of Tuquan County, rising to County Mayor in 1990. In May 1997 he was transferred to Hulunbuir.

In March 2003, Tang was appointed as Deputy Party Secretary and Mayor of Hulunbuir. In January 2005 he was transferred to work as Mayor of Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, a position he held until 2010. Hohhot's economy grew steadily during Tang's tenure. By 2009, the city had one of the highest GDP per capita numbers of any provincial capital in China.[1]

In a 2009 interview with China's national radio station, Tang said that he aimed to expand the financial sector of the city's economy, in addition to investing more in tourism. Tang aimed to make Hohhot a summer destination for tourists from the Beijing-Tianjin area, due to the latter's heat. In addition, he wanted to make Hohhot the centre of the dairy industry in China, as well as a prominent producer of silicon for use in solar panels.[2] In 2008, during Tang's tenure, a deputy Party Secretary in charge of law enforcement, Wang Zhiping (王志平), was reportedly killed in his office along with a female tax official.[2]

Tang left active politics in 2010 when he turned 60, the mandatory retirement age for officials of his rank. In the following years, he served in insignificant roles, such as member of the Standing Committee of the Inner Mongolia People's Congress, and also as the Chair of the Hohhot Philanthropic Organization.[2]

On August 16, 2014, state media announced that Tang Aijun was being investigated by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China for "serious violations of laws and regulations".[2][3] The investigation took over one year. Tang was expelled from the Communist Party in January 2016. It was said that he took "cash and gifts" and abused his power for the gain of others.[4]