Nearly a decade has passed since Guo Xiaoke, former general manager of Guangxi Unicom and Zhejiang Unicom, as well as former head of human resources at China Tower Group, became embroiled in legal troubles, and he is finally scheduled for release from prison next year.
Guo Xiaoke, born in 1964 and now 62 years old, had a notably high starting point in his career. Shortly after the establishment of China Unicom, he was appointed deputy general manager of Beijing Unicom, and by 2003, at just 39 years old, he was promoted to a senior second-rank executive position, becoming the general manager of the Human Resources Department at China Unicom Group.
In 2008, Guo was transferred from the headquarters to serve as general manager of Guangxi Unicom, and two years later, he took up the role of general manager at Zhejiang Unicom. By 2012, he had become the vice chairman of the Labor Union of China Unicom Group.
In 2014, at the age of 50, following the establishment of China Tower, Guo was reassigned to lead the Human Resources Department of China Tower Group as its general manager. It is evident that while Guo had some frontline experience, the majority of his career was spent in behind-the-scenes management roles, particularly in the field of human resources, which he was involved in on multiple occasions.
Curiously, since China Tower was established with investments from the three major telecommunications operators, its organizational rank is one level lower. Therefore, Guo Xiaoke, who originally held a senior second-rank position, was effectively demoted to a junior second-rank role upon his transfer to China Tower Group.
Much of Guo's legal issues stemmed from his willingness to help others. News of his misconduct emerged in 2016; known for his amiable, honest, and friendly nature, it was difficult to imagine he would encounter such troubles, yet these very traits ultimately led to his downfall.
Investigations revealed that Guo began accepting bribes around 2008, shortly after his transfer from headquarters to become general manager of Guangxi Unicom. He exploited his subsequent positions to assist various entities or individuals in business expansion and job transfers, among other matters. The largest bribe involved 1 million yuan received for helping Shandong Pacific Optical Fiber Cable Company sell optical cables and fibers, as well as assisting in the job placement of the daughter of a senior executive at Pacific Company, along with reimbursing 100,000 yuan in personal expenses through the company.
Additionally, in 2014, while serving as general manager of the Human Resources Department at China Tower Group, Guo accepted 1 million yuan in exchange for facilitating the job transfer of Gan, the former general manager of Xi'an Mobile.
In summary, Guo Xiaoke was ultimately sentenced to 11 years in prison for accepting bribes totaling 4.365 million yuan and is expected to be released around mid-2027, by which time he will be 63 years old.
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