Lai Zehua

Lai Zehua (; born September 1965) is a former Chinese politician who spent his entire career in his home-province Guangdong. As of May 2023 he was under investigation by China's top anti-corruption agency. Previously he served as party branch secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Ecology and Environment Department.

Born in Zijin County, Guangdong, he worked in government after college in 1988. He was mayor of Zhaoqing in 2015, party secretary and chairman of the People's Congress in 2016, and eventually party secretary of Zhongshan and chairman of the People's Congress in 2019.

He was a representative of the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.

Early life and education Lai was born in Zijin County, Guangdong, in September 1965. In 1984, he enrolled at Sun Yat-sen University, where he majored in law. He was chosen as party branch secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Ecology and Environment Department in October 2021.

Downfall On 12 May 2023, he was suspected of "serious violations of laws and regulations" by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the party's internal disciplinary body, and the National Supervisory Commission, the highest anti-corruption agency of China.