The two sessions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are set to be held in Beijing in March. Recently, Hu Liren, a former mainland Chinese entrepreneur now living in the United States, revealed that the National People’s Congress delegates and members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference are collectively in extreme panic – too scared to go to Beijing. Some are feigning illness and staying in hospitals to avoid attending the two sessions. However, official data regarding the absence of delegates has not been released yet.
In the CCP’s hidden rules of politics and business, the titles of National People’s Congress delegates and CPPCC members used to serve as a double insurance for wealth and security. Hu Liren disclosed that those who used to enjoy the limelight as National People’s Congress delegates and CPPCC members are now living in constant fear and agony. According to Hu Liren’s sources, none of the delegates and members are willing to attend the two sessions in Beijing this year, fearing trouble or saying something wrong. Some individuals are pretending to be sick, admitting themselves to hospitals for a period of time, and taking leave to skip the meetings. Therefore, there is a high possibility of many absences among the delegates at this year’s CCP two sessions.
Hu Liren recalled a friend in China who was a CPPCC member. When the police checked their car, his friend showed his credentials, and the police dared not to proceed. “He said these credentials were very useful. But now, the ‘halos’ above their heads are gone. The bigger the halo, the bigger the target, and the greater the risk,” Hu Liren said. “Everyone is in chaos now; some local officials may have already caught the attention of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. They could attend the National People’s Congress and CPPCC meetings in Beijing and immediately be detained or locked in a secret room for questioning.”
Over the past few decades, the positions of National People’s Congress delegates and CPPCC members in China’s political and business circles have been seen as invisible assets that can be “purchased.” This was not only for political status but also for obtaining “political protection” and “business privileges.” Entrepreneurs and officials spared no expense to acquire these positions.
Several illegal cases involving the qualifications of National People’s Congress delegates had occurred in China. For example, in the Liaoning “vote-buying case,” individuals interfered with the “election” of National People’s Congress delegates through bribery. The case led to the investigation of 955 individuals, including 34 central-level officials and 45 National People’s Congress delegates and 523 provincial People’s Congress delegates. The qualifications of 454 provincial People’s Congress delegates were terminated. In the Hunan Hengyang “vote-buying case,” over 500 Hengyang City People’s Congress delegates had their qualifications terminated. These cases sparked public discussions on the mechanism of National People’s Congress delegates.
Hu Liren stated that no CCP officials or business owners are clean; they are all targets. “Who among those who can become National People’s Congress and CPPCC members are clean? Any case or reason could mean a death penalty for you. Therefore, after they go to Beijing, they could be taken down, offered conditions: whether they want to live or die, it’s their choice. Some even have their family members as chips for threats, directly squeezing you to surrender your enterprise. In fact, what the Communist Party is doing now is plundering wealth.”
Hu Liren emphasized that this collective panic is not an isolated incident but a fear pervading the entire officialdom. He predicted that this year’s CCP National People’s Congress and CPPCC meetings will be eventful.
On the eve of the CCP National Two Sessions, the document “Notice on Carrying out Learning Education on Establishing and Practicing Correct Political Achievements View throughout the Party” issued by the Central Organization Department on February 23 highlighted the necessity to conduct a so-called correct “political achievements view” learning education throughout the Party. It particularly emphasized the leadership teams at the county level or above, especially the top leaders in various regions. The learning education commenced after the Chinese New Year and will continue until the end of July.
According to Radio Free Asia, Wei Xin, a scholar who has long studied the CCP’s bureaucratic politics, stated that the release of this document holds significant political significance. He believed that this is essentially a movement-oriented cadre rectification, revealing that the CCP bureaucratic system has encountered structural bottlenecks. From over a decade of large-scale anti-corruption actions dealing with over four million officials, it now seems that the only tool left for governance at the top level is “political education.”
Mr. He, a retired teacher from the National People’s Congress, analyzed that the publication of the aforementioned notice before the two sessions in Beijing is because the capital has realized that local debt has rolled to the edge of a cliff. Projects that were once touted as achievements now pose imminent financial risks.
In recent years, with the decline in the real estate market and a decrease in land fiscal revenue, attention has been drawn to the significant debt issues of local governments.
Previously, some regions relied on infrastructure and investment projects to drive economic growth. However, against the backdrop of a slowing economy, mismatches appeared between project returns and debt repayment pressures.
Analysts believe that the “political achievements view” learning education this time may be related to tightening local autonomy.
Wei Xin stated that the top CCP leadership is attempting to lock the decision-making authority that originally belonged to local leaders entirely within the political framework. Behind this tightening approach is the comprehensive collapse of local finances.