Recently, President Biden of the United States bluntly stated that China’s economy is on the brink of collapse, and the leadership in Zhongnanhai should be well aware of this. On June 1st, Xinhua News Agency suddenly published an article titled “Crack down on formalism, Xinhua Six-Part Series!”, which described many strange phenomena in the Chinese Communist Party’s officialdom, such as “arranged seating, procession upon travel,” “turning in the car, looking through the glass, walking in procession, reading from the script”… depicting it vividly. The top leadership of the CCP is powerless in dealing with the economy, officials at all levels are passively lying down, and party media urgently publicizes and self-exposes their ugliness, with a hint of satire.
The CCP leader once called for “promoting a culture of investigation and research”, with party media promoting Xi Jinping as the most frequent in high-level research. However, the Xinhua article directly pointed out the “superficial investigation” done by some people.
The article mentioned that some individuals take the investigation arrangements very “seriously”, are extremely “focused” during the process, confuse “presence” with “in-depth”… The occurrence of “superficial investigations” is a manifestation of “bureaucracy, formalism”.
The article also described: “arranged seating, procession upon travel, dining at tables,” “turning in the car, looking through the glass, walking in procession, reading from the script, bringing along materials”… this superficial and transient kind of investigation not only fails to solve problems, but also burdens the grassroots.
The article seems to be addressing lower-level officials, but it also reflects the investigation trips of Beijing officials to various locations, with Xi Jinping having the most research trips. In May, Li Keqiang and Zhao Leji also went for inspections in Henan.
In 2023, Xi Jinping conducted research in provinces including Guangdong, Hebei, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangxi. Up to now in 2024, Xi Jinping has visited Tianjin, Hunan, Chongqing, and Shandong for research, where holding symposiums is a norm and speeches are basically read from scripts.
Xinhua mentioned “arranged seating, procession upon travel,” “turning in the car, looking through the glass, walking in procession, reading from the script,” which easily brings to mind the investigations conducted by the top leaders of the CCP to various locations.
In less than a year and a half, Xi Jinping has carried out research in 18 provinces, municipalities, or autonomous regions, covering most of China, yet no effective policies have been produced after the research. His speeches mostly repeat slogans and have little guidance on the actual work of local officials. This sets the tone for officials at all levels to conduct research in a similar manner, not only as a formality but potentially turning these trips into leisure tours.
The Xinhua article mentions being wary of “research without implementation”, “implementation without application”, and especially “ineffective implementation”; overcoming the “desire for popularity” and “showing presence”.
This applies to all officials, including those at the top levels of the CCP. The article also states, “Some places that welcome senior officials for research have developed a standardized process, deciding the route, what meals to have, who introduces what at what time”… even creating an emotionally charged atmosphere, which has become a “script”, with some researchers following it tacitly and seemingly “enjoying” it.
This segment implicates both local officials and central high-ranking officials, indirectly acknowledging the presence of actors from the public as well.
The article also mentions, “Listen to pleasing words, as well as unpleasant truths, only then can you hear the truth, see the reality, and achieve results.”
Here the implication seems to be clearer, suggesting who in the CCP hierarchy is most reluctant to hear disagreeable truths?
The Xinhua article states: Under the banner of “serving the people’s livelihood”, using “showcasing” instead of “doing things”, using “creating excitement” instead of “bringing benefits”… have emerged in various places, cunningly spending resources under various pretenses… The “new image projects” have increased the burden on the grassroots, leading to serious waste of national property and social resources.
The CCP leadership often cites “seeking the well-being of the people” but has never truly cared for the common people, only being concerned with their own power and authority. Xinhua has exposed this charade and listed three major characteristics of the CCP officialdom’s “new image projects”, including using “seeking the well-being of the people” as a facade; blindly introducing seemingly “high-end” projects; and only focusing on superficial projects that neglect the substance.
The CCP media frequently promotes slogans like “new era”, “Chinese-style modernization”, “new quality productivity”, “new quality combat capabilities”, all part of the central government’s “new image projects”. Naturally, this extends to officials at various local levels as well.
The CCP leadership purposely concealed the pandemic, and had previously considered “zeroing out” and isolation as the primary means for epidemic prevention. Millions were spent on nucleic acid testing, vaccine injections to claim “victory”, without considering the secondary disasters and aftermath faced by the people. This exemplifies the CCP’s misuse of “serving the people’s well-being”, particularly in recent years. The pandemic never left China, and now the top CCP leaders are ordered not to mention it; CCP experts are being silenced, so where is the “serving the people’s well-being”?
The article states, “Ultimately, behind the ‘new image projects’ lies the issue of performance evaluation, ‘the surface performance is on the grassroots level, but the root lies on top’.”
This statement seemingly targets the provincial and municipal leaders, but these officials are looking up to the central government, where the real power lies.
The Xinhua article describes: In some grassroots units and communities, there are numerous signs, even leading to a competition of hanging “signs”, various “homes”, “bases”, “service stations”, “promotion centers” all competing to display…. “Whoever inspects us, we hang their sign”, “Once inspected, the sign is removed, leaders at the grassroots are really busy”… Hang fewer “signs”, do more actual work!
The article also states: “Why so many ‘signs’? The root cause is using signs to shift responsibility, and using signs to implement. Superiors push lower-level units to hang signs, ultimately trying to shift their own responsibility… The quality of work at the grassroots should not be judged based on the number of signs hung, and definitely should not shift the responsibilities to the grassroots.
High-ranking CCP officials visiting various places for research often go to places labeled as “homes”, “bases”, “service stations”, “centers”, etc. Xinhua News Agency has revealed a big secret – these places are merely temporary “signs”, only put up to deal with superiors’ inspections, visits, and checks, where no one actually takes responsibility for the work. Directives from the top CCP officials often include “strengthening responsibilities”, leading local officials to hang an additional sign to appease them.
This is how the CCP system operates, with officials collectively lying down and avoiding responsibilities, making it inevitable for the economy to be on the verge of collapse and for chaos in the political landscape. The CCP’s sinking ship is primed for disruption.
Xinhua’s article states: Recently… environmental issues in 7 provinces and cities in the Yangtze River basin have been exposed through a series of typical cases… Despite knowing that the Chu River is a tributary of the Yangtze and has experienced pollution, some department heads still claim “not knowing”, “immediately retiring,” “no need for water quality testing”… The lack of concern of some officials is a problem of work ethics… Inaction, indecision, sluggishness, and deceptive maneuvers.
The CCP leadership often uses environmental issues as talking points during their visits to various locations, appearing to care deeply about environmental protection issues. However, the international community has long hoped for China to make commitments to reduce emissions, yet the CCP leadership has consistently exploited this as a bargaining chip, playing games with the US and Western countries, showing no genuine care for environmental issues and the living environment of the ordinary people.
Local officials, including those in the environmental departments, have long understood the true intentions of their superiors, merely echoing slogans without taking real action. The so-called pollution control “battle” is just a ploy to deceive superiors, to make some money on the side; when real problems emerge, scapegoats within the environmental departments are identified, while senior officials remain unscathed.
Xinhua states that grassroot officials are “not concerned” about environmental issues, but in truth, from top to bottom, the CCP is equally “not concerned” about environmental issues.
Xinhua’s article describes: In recent years, in terms of borrowing cadres, some places have shown a general trend, even resulting in “borrowed” officials, “observing” positions…. In some units, the number of temporary personnel borrowed approaches or even exceeds their own regular staff.
The CCP officialdom functions as a power network, where formal staff members often have connections yet lack practical experience, may not possess the required skills, and have essentially secured positions only through relationships; ultimately, someone has to do the real work, hence numerous capable individuals are often reassigned from lower-level units to carry out tasks. Regular staff are not concerned about their job security, lack motivation to learn, merely observing without making real contributions, and may boss around those who are “borrowed”.
Xinhua did not refer to temporary workers, yet the CCP bureaucracy has previously employed a large number of temporary personnel, who perform the same tasks as regular staff members, while the latter spend their time pondering how to misuse the power they hold. Now, due to financial constraints within the CCP, they might not be able to afford more temporary workers, likely relying more on “borrowed” personnel from lower levels.
The article also states: Some units have inconsistencies between people, positions, and staffing; some units have many “officials” in departments, relying entirely on “borrowed” personnel.
This action essentially contradicts the CCP’s touted institutional reforms. The CCP claims that structural reforms at the central level have been essentially completed, yet it seems that there are still more “officials” than genuine workers, naturally relying fully on borrowing personnel.
The Central Staffing Commission currently reports to the CCP Central Committee, and Xinhua’s article essentially points fingers at Zhongnanhai. The appointment and dismissal of high officials require approval from the CCP leader, where loyalty comes first, followed by abilities, experience, and qualifications. The CCP leader has often emphasized the need to learn “skills” during Politburo meetings. The CCP’s upper echelons are filled with individuals lacking these “skills,” leading to a flatlining culture pervading the officialdom.
Xinhua’s article states: When seeking assistance from functional departments for their immediate interests, the public encounters staff who “only smile and do nothing”… Problem-solving proceeds as if “running on a treadmill”… displaying a passive approach, excuses, evasion… Inaction, chaotic actions, slow actions, false actions.
Those who have lived in mainland China should be familiar with this and may no longer be surprised, merely resigned to it; in reality, it’s rare to encounter friendly faces and more common to face setbacks and frustrations. Xinhua’s description of “only smiling and not doing anything” likely underwent some editorialization, the actual situation should involve difficulties in entry, unwelcoming attitudes, and harsh words.
The article further describes: Delaying work, evading problems, and busying themselves with meetings has become a few officials’ “work experience”… Shadows of “pushing and pulling,” “dodging,” and “passing the buck” still periodically emerge… Formalism and bureaucracy are still at play.
Xinhua has laid bare the peculiarities within the CCP’s officialdom, exposing various ugly traits, yet for officials at all levels, it may not have any impact, and the culture of passivity within the officialdom will only worsen.
With the CCP’s officialdom in such a state, it’s inevitable that work is in disarray, leading to chaos. The top CCP leaders know that their days are numbered, and had to order Xinhua to openly address officials, yet many officials are likely waiting for changes while maintaining a passive stance, most likely concerned about their own future. However, those still within the CCP system, if they fail to awaken and break away from the party influence, or continue to do the party’s bidding, may only end up complicit in its downfall, and any plans for the future will likely come to nothing.
The Epoch Times exclusive