 He served as the Mayor and then Communist Party Secretary of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, between 2001 and 2011; then Deputy Party Secretary of Sichuan Province between 2011 and 2012.Li was dismissed from his positions in December 2012, as the party's internal disciplinary body investigated Li for corruption.He was then expelled from the Communist Party of China, convicted on charges of abuse of power and bribery, and sentenced to 13 years in prison.