Rui Chenggang

Rui was born in Hefei, Anhui in 1977. He went to No. 8 Middle School in Hefei, and was the president of the student council. In 1995 during Gaokao exams, Rui ranked first among social science and humanities students in his city, and ranked fourth in his province. He was admitted to China Foreign Affairs University in 1995, where he studied international trade and global economics. He represented China at the 1998 International Public Speaking Competition.

In 2000, Rui began working for CCTV-9, the state broadcaster's English language channel. Rui took part in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2001, and was named one of the "Global Leaders of Tomorrow". In 2005, Rui was named a Yale World Fellow.

In 2007, he criticized in his blog the presence of a Starbucks shop at the Forbidden City, generating significant popular support. Eventually the U.S. brand removed its store from the historic site.[4] Rui said the Starbucks invaded a site of Chinese historical heritage and argued against the "globalization" of historical sites.

In 2008, Rui left CCTV-9 for CCTV-2, a channel focusing on business and economics. At CCTV-2 he was known for being the host for programs such as Economics Half Hour (经济半小时), Economic News (经济信息联播), Global Economic Connection (环球经济连线). He was also involved in the preparation of a television series focused on China during the year of the Olympics. He also hosted a program discussing the global financial crisis. At the 2011 G20 Cannes summit, Rui attracted controversy for interrupting pre-determined protocol during a press conference to ask a question to U.S. President Barack Obama, claiming to represent "all of Asia".[5] As part of his work with CCTV, he has interviewed prominent global personalities such as Bill Gates, Tony Blair, Yasuo Fukuda, and Bill Clinton.[6]

By 2014, Rui had gathered millions of followers on various social media sites and considered a 'star anchor' for CCTV. His fluent English speaking abilities made him a symbol of the "globalization of the economics channel of CCTV."[6] He was also criticized by some detractors for his arrogant and aggressive style.[5] Rui was placed under investigation by Chinese prosecution authorities on July 11, 2014.[7] The abrupt sequence of events shocked television viewers and garnered a quick and overwhelming response on social media.[6] Apart from sporadic media reports speculating on his whereabouts, it is not clear what happened to Rui after 2014. Some sources said that he was sentenced to six years in prison.[8]

While many 'tigers' (i.e., high-ranking officials) have been detained and prosecuted for crimes since the beginning of Xi Jinping and Wang Qishan's anti corruption drive in 2013, Rui is arguably one of the most high-profile non-political personalities implicated in the anti-corruption campaign.

Rui is reportedly scheduled for release from prison on Dec. 11, 2020, according to a tweet by the Zhimian news service quoting court documents.[9]

• Ye Yingchun