China’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign has entered yet another high-profile phase with the announcement that Qi Zhala – a prominent ethnic Tibetan official and former chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region government – will be prosecuted on charges of bribery and abuse of power. The Supreme People’s Procuratorate confirmed on December 10 that formal charges have been filed, marking a dramatic fall for an official once seen as one of the most influential Tibetans within the Chinese political hierarchy.

Qi’s indictment comes just six months after he was expelled from the Communist Party and dismissed from public office, an action that signaled the end of his political career even before criminal proceedings began. His downfall represents not only Beijing’s continued resolve in punishing high-level officials but also exposes internal tensions surrounding governance in ethnic minority regions – particularly Tibet, where Beijing has long attempted to maintain steadfast political and ideological control.

For years, Qi Zhala was regarded as the “highest-ranking Tibetan official operating within the PRC system,” according to the US-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT). His rise within the Communist Party was often portrayed by Beijing as evidence of ethnic representation and integration. As mayor of Lhasa, then chairman of the regional government, and more recently vice chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region’s People’s Congress, Qi was trusted with executing the central government’s political agenda in one of China’s most sensitive regions.

That the Party has moved aggressively against him is therefore significant. According to the Central Commission........

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