On November 3, 2025, the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court in Guangdong Province sentenced five members of the Bai family criminal syndicate—Bai Suocheng, Bai Yingcang, Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang, and Chen Guangyi—to death for crimes including intentional homicide, intentional injury, fraud, drug trafficking and manufacturing, kidnapping, and operating casinos, along with corresponding additional penalties. After the first-instance verdict, Bai Suocheng died due to illness, while the other defendants appealed. The Guangdong Provincial High People’s Court, after holding a trial, rejected the appeals and upheld the original verdict on December 24, 2025, and reported it to the Supreme People’s Court for review in accordance with the law.

Upon review, the Supreme People’s Court confirmed that the Bai family criminal syndicate, led by Bai Yingcang and others, established multiple compounds in the Kokang region of Myanmar through self-construction and joint development. They recruited and attracted several “investors” like Yang Liqiang, providing them with armed protection, and colluded with these investors to commit crimes including telecom fraud, operating casinos, intentional homicide, intentional injury, kidnapping, extortion, and organizing or forcing prostitution. The funds involved in gambling and fraud exceeded 29 billion yuan, resulting in the deaths of 6 Chinese citizens and injuries to many others. Additionally, Bai Yingcang was involved in trafficking and manufacturing approximately 11 tons of methamphetamine.

The Supreme People’s Court held that defendant Bai Yingcang organized and led the Bai family criminal syndicate, providing armed protection for telecom fraud groups to commit crimes. Defendants Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang, and Chen Guangyi respectively organized, led, or participated in telecom fraud groups or gangs to commit crimes, constituting multiple offenses including intentional injury, intentional homicide, fraud, and drug trafficking and manufacturing. The crimes of Bai Yingcang, Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang, and Chen Guangyi were of an exceptionally vile nature, with particularly severe circumstances and consequences, causing enormous social harm, and their offenses were extremely serious, warranting severe punishment according to law. The facts found in the first-instance judgment and the second-instance ruling were clear, the evidence was reliable and sufficient, the convictions were accurate, and the sentences were appropriate. The trial procedures were lawful. Accordingly, the Supreme People’s Court lawfully approved the death sentences for Bai Yingcang, Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang, and Chen Guangyi.

Four Criminals from Bai Family Syndicate Executed

After receiving the criminal ruling and death warrant from the Supreme People’s Court, the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court in Guangdong Province lawfully pronounced and carried out the death sentences for criminals Bai Yingcang, Yang Liqiang, Hu Xiaojiang, and Chen Guangyi. Before execution, the criminals met with their close relatives.

The Downfall of the Bai Family Criminal Syndicate in Northern Myanmar

The Bai family criminal syndicate case is the second case involving telecom fraud groups in northern Myanmar targeting Chinese citizens to enter the execution phase, following the Ming family syndicate case. Among the four major families in northern Myanmar, the Bai family held the most power, possessing the strongest private armed forces and the ability to infiltrate local politics, directly controlling several large-scale telecom fraud compounds in the Kokang region. What heinous crimes did the Bai family syndicate commit against Chinese citizens, and how were they brought to justice? Let’s examine.

Bai Suocheng, the patriarch of the Bai family, was born in 1949 in Kokang, Myanmar. He once served as Chairman of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone in Shan State, during which he appointed numerous family members and former subordinates to key local positions. His eldest son, Bai Yingneng, and second son, Bai Yingcang, held important positions in the Kokang Self-Administered Zone and controlled armed forces such as police battalions and militia units. The Bai family’s influence permeated political, military, and police circles, making other families in northern Myanmar’s Kokang region follow their lead.</p

Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court

The Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court is a key judicial institution established in the early 1980s following Shenzhen’s designation as China’s first Special Economic Zone. It has played a significant role in adjudicating commercial and civil cases, supporting the city’s rapid economic development and legal modernization. The court is known for pioneering reforms within China’s judicial system, including early experiments in professional judge panels and streamlined litigation procedures.

Guangdong Provincial High People’s Court

The Guangdong Provincial High People’s Court is the highest judicial organ in Guangdong Province, China, exercising jurisdiction over the region. Established as part of the national judicial system, its history is intertwined with the development of China’s modern legal framework following the founding of the People’s Republic. It primarily handles appeals and major cases from lower courts within the province.

Supreme People’s Court

The Supreme People’s Court is the highest judicial organ in the People’s Republic of China, established in 1949 following the founding of the PRC. It oversees the administration of justice nationwide, interprets laws, and reviews major cases, functioning under the supervision of the National People’s Congress.

Kokang region

The Kokang region is a self-administered zone in northern Myanmar’s Shan State, historically populated by ethnic Han Chinese. It was established as a semi-autonomous fiefdom under the Yang clan following a 17th-century migration, and its modern history has been marked by complex political and military conflict, particularly involving the Myanmar Armed Forces and various local armed groups.

Myanmar

Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a Southeast Asian nation with a rich history centered on powerful Buddhist kingdoms like Bagan, where thousands of ancient temples were built between the 9th and 13th centuries. It was later colonized by the British in the 19th century, gained independence in 1948, and has experienced prolonged military rule and ethnic conflicts. Culturally, it is renowned for its golden pagodas, such as the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, and Theravada Buddhism deeply influences its society and traditions.

Shan State

Shan State is a large, mountainous region in eastern Myanmar known for its diverse ethnic groups and scenic highlands. Historically, it was composed of numerous Shan principalities that enjoyed a degree of autonomy under Burmese kings and later British colonial rule. Today, it is a culturally rich area, but also one marked by prolonged ethnic conflicts and struggles for greater self-determination.

Kokang Self-Administered Zone

The Kokang Self-Administered Zone is a special administrative region in northern Myanmar’s Shan State, primarily inhabited by ethnic Han Chinese. It was historically a semi-independent fiefdom and was formally granted self-administered status under Myanmar’s 2008 constitution. The area has a complex history of autonomy and conflict, often marked by tensions between local armed groups and the central government.

Ming family syndicate

The “Ming family syndicate” is not a recognized historical place or cultural site. It appears to be a modern term, likely referring to organized crime groups, often of Chinese ethnicity, involved in illicit activities. As such, it does not have a documented history as a cultural landmark.