"Harming my family, my relatives, my subordinates, and so many people..." On the evening of January 26, the first episode of the three-part television documentary "Escort," jointly produced by the Propaganda Department of the Shanxi Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Shanxi Radio and Television Station, titled "The Sword Promotes Development," aired, focusing on the series of corruption cases within the Shanxi Coking Coal Group.
According to reports, Wu Huatai, the former Party Committee Secretary and Chairman of Shanxi Coking Coal Group, appeared on screen, detailing his process of degeneration into a "major pest" within the state-owned enterprise. The documentary revealed for the first time that he amassed illicit wealth totaling tens of millions of yuan and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in January 2026.
Wu Huatai, born in 1959 in Pingyao, Shanxi, had long been involved in the coal industry. He assumed the positions of Chairman and Party Committee Secretary of Shanxi Coking Coal Group in January 2014 and stepped down in 2019. In May 2024, Wu Huatai (at the departmental level) was placed under investigation, expelled from the Communist Party in November of the same year, and prosecuted in March 2025 on charges of accepting bribes and abusing his authority as a person in charge of a state-owned company.
As reported in "The Sword Promotes Development," in June 2006, shortly after taking office as Chairman of Huajin Coking Coal Group, Wu Huatai received a visit from a businessman from Zhejiang, surnamed Ou. The latter left a paper bag containing 300,000 yuan in cash and hurriedly departed. "The money sat in my office for several days; I didn't dare touch it, constantly thinking about how to return it, how to give it back to him," Wu Huatai recalled. He later rationalized that since he hadn't broken the law—it was offered voluntarily, not solicited—it was acceptable. Subsequently, under various pretexts, Ou gave Wu Huatai money and valuables, including millions in Renminbi and Euros, on more than ten occasions. "I always felt indebted to Ou and believed I had to help him with his affairs to ease my conscience. Therefore, I tried my best to meet Ou's requests regarding project contracts and payment settlements," Wu Huatai stated in his written confession.
Later, Wu Huatai's acceptance of bribes became increasingly brazen. He was not selective about the matters or the people involved, refusing no one and accepting everything, big or small. The investigation found that he accepted bribes—including cash, gold, calligraphy, and paintings—from 21 business owners, amounting to tens of millions of yuan.
Wu Huatai also corrupted a group of cadres, including Fan Wensheng, former Deputy General Manager of Shanxi Coking Coal Low-Carbon Technology Company; Guo Tiangang, former General Manager of Shanxi Coking Coal Sales Company; Yang Shejiao, former General Manager of Shanxi Coking Coal Highway Coal and Coke Logistics Company; and Wang Shoubin, former External Director of Shanxi Coking Coal Xishan Coal and Electricity. "Now, when I think about it, I despise myself and feel deep remorse. Of course, I regret it because of these issues. But there's no such thing as a 'regret pill' in this world; one can only bear the consequences," Wu Huatai lamented in the documentary.
Full version of "The Sword Promotes Development"—
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