The 20th Plenary Session of the 3rd Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) came to a close on July 18th. The subsequent announcement regarding the resignation and dismissal of former Foreign Minister Qin Gang from his position as a Central Committee member has garnered attention both overseas and within China. Discussions on social media platforms, particularly Weibo, quickly became restricted with comment sections being mostly shut down. The reform content outlined in the CCP’s plenary session report has seen minimal substantive discussion within the Chinese online community.
According to the CCP’s plenary session report, it stated, “Accept Comrade Qin Gang’s resignation request and relieve Comrade Qin Gang of his duties as a member of the Central Committee.” The related topic briefly trended as the number one search on Weibo, with data showing sustained attention for 47 minutes. However, many netizens have long held suspicions that hot searches in mainland China are manipulated by official sources.
Upon checking Weibo on July 19th, the hashtag “#RelievingComradeQinGangofHisDutiesasaCentralCommitteeMember” had amassed 150 million reads by 2 p.m., yet only displayed 7,318 discussions.
Several media outlets, including Caixin, China Economic Net, Deep Blue Finance and Economics, China Media Brief, and Inner Mongolia Daily, have shut down comment sections. Hong Kong’s Ta Kung Pao website indicated nearly 400 comments, but only one “reposted Weibo”; sparse comments were spotted on select self-media platforms.
Qin Gang first submitted his resignation, which was accepted, before being relieved of his duties as a Central Committee member. However, he still retains his “comrade” status, unlike the cases of former Defense Minister Li Shangfu, former Rocket Force commander Li Yuchao, and former Rocket Force Chief of Staff Sun Jinming, who were expelled from the party. Chinese netizens generally believe that Qin Gang has undergone a “soft landing.”
A witness from the Tianan Patrol Service stated, “Merely having the title ‘comrade’ implies a lot.”
Commenter Like a Dream Ending remarked, “It seems there are no major issues of principle.”
Flying-Beta shared, “I carefully read it several times. First, Comrade Qin Gang landed safely due to lifestyle issues. Secondly, the overall tone remains consistent with the past five years, without major surprises, yet there are several new expressions.”
Blanche50 pondered, “‘The 20th Plenary Session accepted Comrade Qin Gang’s resignation request,’ and still addressed him as ‘comrade.’ Sigh! What a pity… I wonder what exactly led to his downfall.”
Qin Gang disappeared from public view at the end of June last year, removed from the position of Foreign Minister in July, and from the State Councilor position in October. Rumors circulated suggesting his downfall was related to extramarital affairs, leaking state secrets, and jeopardizing national security, yet the CCP has not confirmed the reasons behind his fall from grace.
Associate Professor Feng Chongyi from the University of Technology Sydney in Australia expressed to Minghui Daily yesterday that Qin Gang’s situation could be likened to a “soft landing.” Since he is ultimately Xi Jinping’s confidant, Xi likely preferred not to handle the matter too harshly to avoid further embarrassment.
Gong Xiangsheng, Deputy Research Fellow at the Institute of CCP Politics, Military Affairs, and Operational Concepts at the Taiwan Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies, suggested that authorities did not emphasize Qin Gang’s extramarital affair or leaking of information, indicating that his removal from office may be more closely linked to his defeat in a struggle with Wang Yi, Director of the State Councilor’s Office.
Regarding the restrictions on Chinese netizens’ discussions on Weibo, Voice of America quoted Associate Professor Zhuang Jiaying from the Department of Political Science at the National University of Singapore, who stated that Qin Gang was Xi Jinping’s confidant and designated Foreign Minister. Various speculations have arisen regarding the reasons behind his downfall, but thus far, the official explanation has been lacking, fueling further speculation amid the opaque personnel decisions and intrigue of the officialdom. “What exactly happened behind the scenes with Qin Gang remains far from public scrutiny, and such discussions could easily detract from the economic reform agenda that the plenary session seeks to promote.”
The CCP’s 3rd Plenary Session touted “deepening reforms,” yet external observers have remained skeptical of both the meeting itself and the “reform” documents it released.
Following the full release of the “Plenary Session Report” yesterday, while the suspected official controls led to its prolonged presence atop Weibo’s hot search list, with nearly 200 million views by midday on the 19th, lasting nearly 15 hours, displaying 24,000 discussions, the comments section saw little substantive discourse from netizens. Even in the comment sections beneath CCTV’s reports, only “following” and “reposting” were visible.
Overseas platforms have predominantly criticized and ridiculed the report, with remarks such as “Official jargon and nonsense abound” and “Textual garbage.”
Dai Wen, a former Inner Mongolian official and independent commentator, posted, “From the content of the report, it’s clear that it’s just circling around, skirting issues, and failing to introduce any novel ideas! Everything has gone as expected, with the overarching theme being a further comprehensive strengthening of the Party’s leadership, granting Xi Jinping greater powers. The slogans are loud, but actions are hollow! The goals sound fine, but there’s a lack of substance.”
Independent commentator Cai Shunkun noted in a post that based on the report’s content, there have been no significant breakthroughs, falling even short of the reforms seen during the 3rd Plenary Session of the 18th CCP Central Committee. The so-called deepening reforms do not touch upon fundamental issues concerning the path, theory, system, culture, and other critical principles in reform, nor do they address the foundational problems related to the direction, stance, steps, and major principles of reform. “To put it plainly, no matter what changes are made or how they are made, there will be absolutely no alteration to the political aspect of centralized authority.
Associate Professor Feng Chongyi from the University of Technology Sydney posted on an overseas platform, saying, “The report confirms people’s lack of expectations for this conference. The entire announcement is just a pile of nauseating, suffocating clichés and political slogans, with no practical breakthroughs.”
Feng Chongyi believes that the 3rd Plenary Session once again underscores that the CCP high command is “desperate and at a loss both internally and externally, obstinate to the extreme, and it will not change its ways even when faced with a dead end.”
These comments and analyses reflect the complex reactions and interpretations surrounding the recent developments in China, shedding light on the opaque nature of its political system and the challenges faced in reform efforts.