Xinhua reported (July 16) that Chinese President and CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over and delivered an important speech at a Politburo Standing Committee meeting on July 16, 2018 on the Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology Company defective vaccine case. The meeting emphasized that the case “reflects existing systematic defects in the production, distribution, and use of vaccines” and stressed that China “must raise the cost of breaking the law and crack down on, strictly punish, and not at all be tolerant toward those lawless firms that are blinded by greed and disregard the rules and those individuals who dare to challenge the bottom lines of morality and conscience.” Xinhua said that  since the occurrence of this problem vaccine case, General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to it. He called for the 'immediate investigation of the truth, serious accountability, strict handling according to law, resolutely defending the safety bottom line, and fully safeguarding the vital interests of the people'. Stressing the importance of "social stability", the report said 'the vaccine is related to the health of the people and to public health and national security' and that 'under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee, the State Council has held several meetings to study and sent investigation teams to conduct investigations'. 

 

The meeting agreed to dismiss Jin Yuhui (Deputy Governor of Jilin Province, in charge of food and drug supervision in Jilin Province since April 2017), and Li Jinxiu (Deputy Vice Chairman of Jilin Provincial CPPCC, from December 2015 to April 2017, in charge of Jilin Province); ordered to resign were: the Deputy Governor of Food and Drug Supervision work; Liu Changlong (Mayor of Changchun City, acting as mayor of Changchun City since October 2016), and Bi Jingquan (Party Secretary of the General Administration of Market Supervision) and Deputy Director, from February 2015 to March 1818, of the Food and Drug Administration. Jiang Zhiying (Ministry of the Standing Committee of the Jilin Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, March 2012 - May 2016 and Changchun Municipal Party Committee Deputy Secretary,) and Jiao Hong (Director of the State Food and Drug Administration) had to make in-depth inspections; 35 non-central management cadres were held accountable; The meeting instructed the Jilin Provincial Party Committee and the provincial government and the State Food and Drug Administration to make in-depth inspections and report to the CCP Central Committee and the State Council.