Xu Xianping, a former deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for taking bribes by the Intermediate People's Court of Chifeng, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Wednesday.

The court also fined Xu 5 million yuan ($738,400) and ordered the confiscation of his illegal gains, which will be turned over to the State treasury.

The court found that Xu had taken advantage of his positions between 2001 and 2021, including as vice-governor of Hunan province, a member of the Standing Committee of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, deputy head of the NDRC and a counselor of the State Council.

During that period, Xu provided assistance to companies and individuals in business operations, project contracting and personnel appointments, and illegally accepted money and valuables worth more than 62.53 million yuan, according to the court.

The court said Xu's actions constituted the crime of accepting bribes and involved an extremely large amount of money, warranting severe punishment in accordance with the law.

However, the court noted that after coming under investigation, Xu confessed to his crimes, voluntarily disclosed some bribery-related facts that investigators had not yet uncovered, pleaded guilty, expressed remorse and actively returned his illegal gains. As all illicit proceeds involved in the case had been recovered, he received a lenient sentence in accordance with the law.

The trial was held publicly on May 15. Prosecutors presented evidence, while Xu and his defense counsel examined the evidence and fully stated their opinions under the court's supervision. Xu made a final statement in court, pleaded guilty and expressed remorse.

Born in October 1954 in Hunan province, Xu began working and joined the CPC in 1973.

He spent much of his early career in Hunan, serving as vice-mayor and deputy Party secretary of Changsha, vice-governor of Hunan province, and a member of the Standing Committee of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the CPC. In 2009, he was appointed deputy head of the NDRC, a position he held until the end of 2014. He later served as a counselor of the State Council.

Xu was placed under investigation in March 2025 and expelled from the CPC in November 2025.

Disciplinary authorities said Xu had resisted organizational investigation, accepted improper travel arrangements and banquets that could affect the impartial performance of his official duties, and borrowed vehicles from entities under his administration or receiving his services. He was also found to have improperly helped others secure promotions and job transfers, accepted gifts and cash, and received unauthorized home renovation services from management and service recipients.

In January 2026, Xu appeared in an anti-corruption documentary released by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC and the National Commission of Supervision, in which he reflected on his violations and expressed remorse.