At the same time as the top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party disappeared to Beidaihe, a high-stakes “struggle for supremacy” in the political and business circles of China unexpectedly caught the public’s attention. However, the high-level political situation behind it is a taboo topic in mainland China.
“Struggle for supremacy” is a type of card game for four players using two decks of poker cards. Players form teams of two and must use higher-ranking card combinations to suppress their opponents. The winner is the first to empty their hand of cards, followed by scoring upgrades. It is said that this poker card game has a history of several decades in China, originating from Huai’an, Jiangsu Province. In recent years, it has become very popular among venture capitalists and has spread to the officialdom.
Several foreign media outlets reported last year that the popularity of the game was partly due to the increasingly tense relations between China and its largest trading partner, the United States, resulting in significantly limited foreign investment. Additionally, the Chinese authorities’ crackdown on sectors such as technology and real estate has led to a decrease in private capital within the country. Financial industry professionals have had to turn to government investment. Mastering the game of “struggle for supremacy” can help financial players establish relationships with officials who control local investment plans.
Investment bankers who specialize in lobbying for government funding for semiconductor and defense-related projects have stated, “Officials enjoy playing this game, so we play along with them.” When sitting at a card table for hours, conversations are inevitable. After building trust with each other, officials sometimes reveal useful information.
On August 3, member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the CCP, Cai Qi, visited experts on vacation in Beidaihe, indicating the start of the annual Beidaihe vacation-style meeting. Since the 4th, there has been no news of high-level activities from major CCP media outlets. Whether there have been high-level struggles in Beidaihe in the past, and whether there will be any this year remains unknown. The trend of the “New Cultural Revolution” outside Beidaihe triggered by the “struggle for supremacy” sheds light on this.
During festivals and holidays, the preferred entertainment for finance professionals in China is no longer Texas Hold’em or Big Two, but the nationwide sensation of the “struggle for supremacy” game. “Not playing ‘struggle for supremacy’ before meals is equivalent to not eating! ‘Struggle for supremacy’ has transitioned from informal card games to competitive sports arenas, with the backing of certain official forces.
However, the Beijing Youth Daily, known as one of the mouthpieces of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CCP, has continuously criticized the “struggle for supremacy” card game, creating an atmosphere of condemnation.
Over the course of three days (on August 5, 6, and 7), the Beijing Youth Daily brought out three so-called “heavyweight” commentaries slamming the “national struggle for supremacy,” with titles such as “Beware of the addictive and fostering atmosphere of the ‘struggle for supremacy'” and “The ‘national struggle for supremacy’ trend of lying flat needs regulation,” and “Urgent need to break the ‘circle culture’ of the ‘struggle for supremacy.'”
Starting from criticizing some public officials and young cadres for “lying flat,” the official media commentary escalated to the political level, bluntly condemning it as becoming “a ‘struggle for supremacy’ circle of groups and cliques,” accusing some individuals of attempting to engage in political sycophancy and seeking rent-seeking benefits, among other allegations.
This escalation in tone, of course, has both supporters and opponents of the “struggle for supremacy.”
For example, Lu Xiongwen, Dean of the School of Management at Fudan University in Shanghai, first warned graduates to stay away from the struggle for supremacy in his graduation speech, calling it a “culture of escapism and degeneration.” However, Zhou Hongyi, founder and chairman of 360 Group, posted on Weibo saying that calling entrepreneurs who play the “struggle for supremacy” lazy or lying flat is unacceptable. He questioned, “Are entrepreneurs not working tirelessly, attending meetings and developing products from dawn till dusk? Is taking a break to play the game considered lying flat? I think it’s a bit of a misinterpretation.”
Given that Xi Jinping, the CCP’s top leader, has repeatedly criticized “small circles, cliques, and gangs,” and the official media condemned the “struggle for supremacy,” some believe there might be a higher-level directive behind it. A document circulating online, titled “Self-Inspection Report Form for Party Member Leaders Engaging in Group Activities such as ‘Struggle for Supremacy,'” seems to echo these speculations.
The Editor-in-Chief of the Beijing Youth Daily is the newly appointed post-80s editor-in-chief Mao Xiaogang. The latest commentary of the newspaper has reached a political level, leading some to think it is a maneuver by the “new leftists.”
Two articles on the mainland portal websites Netease and Sohu have been deleted, titled “Post-80s Editor-in-Chief Mao Xiaogang’s Debut Criticism of the ‘Struggle for Supremacy'” and “Exclusive Post-80s Mao Xiaogang Takes Office as Editor-in-Chief of Beijing Youth Daily.” It’s clear this editor has some high-level support.
On August 6, The Paper reported that Mao Xiaogang, Vice Editor-in-Chief of the Beijing Daily newspaper group and member of the Editorial Committee, has been appointed as the Editor-in-Chief of the Beijing Youth Daily. According to information published by the Beijing Youth Daily on July 30, there has been a change in the position of editor-in-chief from Tian Kewu to Mao Xiaogang.
Public records show that Mao Xiaogang, born in November 1980 in Xiyang, Shanxi Province, holds a Master’s degree in engineering from Peking University and is a chief reporter. In March 2015, he was appointed Director of the Commentary Department of the Beijing Daily and a member of the Editorial Committee. In May 2017, he became Deputy Secretary of the Communist Youth League Beijing Municipal Committee. He has also served as Vice Editor-in-Chief of the Beijing Daily newspaper group and member of the Social Affairs Committee.
The Beijing Youth Daily is affiliated with the Beijing Daily newspaper group, formerly under the jurisdiction of the Communist Youth League Beijing Municipal Committee. Beijing is the political stronghold of Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the CCP and Xi Jinping’s top confidant, as he also serves as the Director of the General Office.
Cai Qi, considered Xi Jinping’s number one confidant, holds the position of Beijing Municipal Committee Deputy Secretary since October 31, 2016, and was appointed Mayor of Beijing on January 20, 2017. On May 27, 2017, Cai Qi became Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CCP, a position he held until after the 20th National Congress of the CCP in November 2022. Mao Xiaogang served as Deputy Secretary of the Communist Youth League Beijing Municipal Committee while Cai Qi was in office. Therefore, it is no surprise that the propaganda in Beijing, the capital, is closely monitored and directed by top CCP propagandist Cai Qi.
It is said that there are at least 140 million “struggle for supremacy” players across China, with over 20 million people regularly playing in just Jiangsu and Anhui provinces. According to a report in the Securities Times in April this year, there are 185 registered “struggle for supremacy” associations or clubs under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the CCP, mainly concentrated in Jiangsu Province. The association presidents include business owners, doctors, teachers, and civil servants.
“Struggle for supremacy” is considered an intangible cultural heritage of Huai’an, Jiangsu Province, and the demonstration project at the 5th National Intelligence Games in 2023. The General Administration of Sports of the CCP even formulated the “Competitive Rules for Sports Struggle for Supremacy” last year and held a national “struggle for supremacy” competition. The game is commended for emphasizing team honor above all, highlighting cooperation and obedience, with a distinctive Eastern thought model and Chinese wisdom.
Interestingly, the prevalence of the “struggle for supremacy” game is also supported by two successive premiers.
Current Premier Li Keqiang served as the Party Secretary of Jiangsu Province from June 2016 to October 2017. He has been considered relatively “pro-business,” being more friendly towards the business sector and better able to understand the challenges faced by entrepreneurs. During his tenure, the first Jiangsu Development Conference was held at the Jiangsu Grand Theater, where the “struggle for supremacy” game, as a popular culture in Jiangsu, became a highlight of the conference.
During the event, Wang Haicheng, executive chairman of the Canada-China Business Association and chairman of the DaZhong Investment Group, shared the story: During Prime Minister Li Keqiang’s visit in November 2016, he said, “Your business association has a responsibility and mission to promote economic and trade culture.” Consequently, they promoted Jiangsu’s “struggle for supremacy” culture in Canada and decided to host the first World Chinese “Struggle for Supremacy” competition in Nanjing in 2018.
A search online shows that the inaugural Global “Struggle for Supremacy” Promotion Summit took place in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province from March 30 to 31, 2024.
There is a “Beijing rumor” going around that a group with ties to the State Council and Jiangsu province actually wanted to present “struggle for supremacy” as a thematic project for “new productive forces.” Their original intention was to please the current leadership but unexpectedly caused an uproar, resulting in Xi’s anger, with reports suggesting his mood changed drastically.
On September 30 last year, the CCP media magazine “Qiushi” published a speech by Xi emphasizing the need to prevent the spread of negative thoughts like “passive lying flat.” At that time, many believed that Xi observing officials “lying flat” indicated the party’s decline and that he aimed to crack down on any negative trends.
The current crackdown on the “struggle for supremacy” controversy coincides with the collective disappearance of top CCP leaders to Beidaihe for vacation or meetings, involving both Cai Qi and Li Keqiang, prompting further speculation.
Although both are close confidants of Xi, Cai Qi and Li Keqiang have always been known for not getting along, with signs of Li being overshadowed by Cai in his position as the Party’s second-in-command.
Therefore, this controversy surrounding the “struggle for supremacy” doesn’t seem to be instigated by the new leftist forces but by the old leftists, implicating a power struggle between Cai Qi and Li Keqiang. With Cai managing the propaganda and having Xi’s support, he appears to be in a privileged position. However, the lying flat of CCP officials and the pursuit of political connections will not disappear just because the “struggle for supremacy” game does. In the declining days of the Red Dynasty, even without “struggle for supremacy,” there will still be “scramble” and “ruin.”
【Epoch Times News】