Recently, the top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party’s various provinces have been convening meetings in the name of the provincial committee’s national security commission, stating that the top priority is to ensure “political security”. With Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping entering his so-called “firmly in power” third term, there is a constant concern about the insecurity of the party-state. Some analysts believe that while local officials are pledging loyalty, they may not necessarily be reliable to Xi himself.
The Beijing Youth Daily’s public WeChat account “Political Insight” reported on June 5th that on June 3rd, Han Jun, the Communist Party Secretary of Anhui Province, convened a meeting in the name of the provincial committee’s national security commission. Han Jun stated, “We must prioritize safeguarding national political security, especially regime security and institutional security.” He also emphasized the need to “strengthen the identification of risks and hidden dangers in the ideological field”.
According to the reports, in recent days, Shanghai Communist Party Secretary Chen Qining, Yunnan Communist Party Secretary Wang Ning, and Chongqing Communist Party Secretary Yuan Jiajun have all chaired meetings in their capacity as the top officials of the local national security committees. The content of the provincial national security committee meetings across the country has all placed “ensuring political security” as the top priority.
The reports also hinted that they are “deploying security tasks” in this capacity, which is related to Xi Jinping’s emphasis on national security issues.
Amid internal and external challenges, Xi Jinping has openly expressed concerns about the instability of the Chinese Communist Party’s authoritarian regime in recent years. Within the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping personally serves as the chairman of the National Security Commission, while at the provincial and municipal levels, the first-in-command serving as the director of the local national security commission is being revealed for the first time.
Regarding the convening of security meetings in various parts of China at this time, current affairs commentator Li Lin analyzes that this is related to the upcoming Third Plenary Session of the Chinese Communist Party, and the many unstable factors in both political and economic spheres. Additionally, due to China’s increasing isolation internationally, local officials are keenly aware of Xi Jinping’s concerns about the safety of his regime, hence they are taking the opportunity to express loyalty.
The long-delayed Third Plenary Session scheduled for next month is said to discuss economic issues related to “reform” according to official disclosure. However, there is skepticism from the public about how this session will address the major unresolved economic problems and the increasingly complex internal contradictions within the Party. The current Chinese society is filled with grievances, with incidents of murder, suicide, and other events making the political situation feel more unstable.
Furthermore, since the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, some senior military and party officials have inexplicably gone missing, been removed from office, and frequent replacements have occurred, indicating intense power struggles among Xi Jinping’s confidants.
Li Lin points out that before the Third Plenary Session of the Chinese Communist Party, any element of instability will be considered a major issue affecting “political security and institutional security”. However, these local officials promoted by Xi Jinping himself may also pose a risk to his “political security”. “The sudden downfall of high-ranking officials like Li Shangfu, Qin Gang, and Tang Renjian shows Xi’s poor judgment in personnel decisions, which may have increased his lack of confidence.”
Earlier this year, overseas scholar Yuan Hongbing commented to Epoch Times about the corruption case in the Rocket Force, stating that Xi Jinping has eliminated various factions within the Chinese Communist Party and established a team known as the “Xi Family Army”. However, through the disloyalty revealed in the Rocket Force case, Xi Jinping suddenly realized that he is surrounded by “two-faced individuals”. Those officials who flatter Xi outwardly are also deeply dissatisfied within.