Duan Weihong

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Duan Weihong
Born29 December 1966
Disappeared5 September 2017[1]
Beijing, China
StatusMissing for 4 years, 6 months and 8 days
NationalityChinese
Known forVictim of kidnapping

Duan Weihong (Chinese: 段伟红; born 29 December 1966), also known as Whitney Duan, is a Chinese billionaire who is currently missing and believed to be held captive by Chinese government investigators on corruption charges.[2][3] Prior to her arrest at Beijing’s Bulgari Hotel she owned, she was subject to a travel ban by the Chinese government. According to a 2018 report from The New York Times, Duan was detained in 2017, possibly in relation to an anti-corruption investigation into Sun Zhengcai, but there has been no official acknowledgement from the Chinese government.[4][5]

Duan, who was reported to be one of China’s wealthiest women, was known for her business dealings with former Chinese premier Wen Jiabao and particularly his wife, Zhang Peili.[6] In a memoir written by her ex-husband Desmond Shum titled Red Roulette, Duan is said to have fallen victim to the party’s use of "extralegal kidnappings" to facilitate opaque investigations.[7][2][8] However in the book Shum states that arresting and holding suspected high-level criminals for unlimited time is legal in China; this especially applies to Communist Party members suspected of corruption by party investigators. Shum also openly admits virtually all of his own and his former wife’s business deals in China were corrupt. In an interview with NPR, Shum stated that he had received a call from Duan urging him not to publish his book, a request that he said was made under duress.[9][10]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "How Whitney Duan Became China's Richest Woman, then Vanished Without a Trace". The New York Post. New York City, New York. 11 September 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b Mitchell, Tom (September 2, 2021). "Mystery of missing woman who struck deals with China's 'red aristocracy'". Financial Times. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  3. ^ Shum, Desmond (September 5, 2021). "The Missing Mogul". The Wire China. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  4. ^ Barboza, David; Forsythe, Michael (February 7, 2018). "Corruption Inquiry Draws Nearer to Former Chinese Prime Minister". The New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "纽约时报:段伟红事件牵涉温家宝，抑或孙政才？" [The New York Times: Duan Weihong incident involves Wen Jiabao or Sun Zhengcai?]. Deutsche Welle (in Chinese). February 8, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  6. ^ Barboza, David (October 25, 2012). "Billions in Hidden Riches for Family of Chinese Leader". The New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  7. ^ Wong, Chun Han (September 3, 2021). "An Insider Details the Chinese Communist Party's Disdain for 'Expendable' Entrepreneurs". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  8. ^ "A new book looks behind Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign". The Economist. September 11, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  9. ^ Shum, Desmond (September 6, 2021). "'Red Roulette' Reveals The Inside Of China's Wealth-Making Machine". NPR (Interview). Interviewed by Steve Inskeep. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  10. ^ Mitchell, Tom (September 6, 2021). "Missing Chinese entrepreneur briefly surfaces on eve of book's publication". Financial Times. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
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