Sun Zhengcai

A disgraced Chinese politician who has been accused of plotting against the Communist Party pleaded guilty to corruption charges on Thursday.  Sun Zhengcai, 54, the former party chief of the southwestern megacity of Chongqing, was once considered to be a leadership contender who could succeed President Xi Jinping. But he was abruptly sacked and placed under investigation in July last year, three months before Xi was appointed the party chief for a second term. During the trial at the Tianjin No.1 Intermediate People’s Court, prosecutors accused Sun of using his position to seek profits for others and himself, illegally accepting $27 million worth of assets from 2002 to 2017, state-run Xinhua