The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) recently reported that a secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee in Henan province drank four bottles of liquor with four other officials during a political study session, leading to the death of one person. The incident has sparked discussions both domestically and internationally, with some suggesting that the CCP may initiate a new round of “rectification” campaigns, intensifying internal power struggles. Official media stated that cadres should not undergo an “alcohol test.” However, Xi Jinping himself has admitted to enjoying alcohol.
According to the CCP Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on May 13th, during a meeting in Luo Shan County, Xinyang City, Henan province on March 22nd, ten officials violated regulations by consuming alcohol during the so-called “Eight Central Regulations” study session. Li Xianlin, a member of the Standing Committee of the Luo Shan County Party Committee and secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, drank four bottles of liquor with four other officials, resulting in one fatality. As a result, the ten officials involved were removed from their positions, dismissed, or demoted.
On May 14th, CCTV, the official broadcaster of the CCP, stated in an article that cadres facing an “alcohol test” are not allowed. The article criticized CCP officials who relaxed policies by viewing social gatherings as a shortcut to promotion, getting trapped in the quagmire of power alienation and spiritual corruption. It emphasized that such officials “cannot, should not, and must not” act as they did.
Recent incidents of officials violating regulations during the study of the “Eight Central Regulations” have become a hot topic on the internet and are trending. Some netizens have questioned why issues of widespread corruption and keeping mistresses among officials are not extensively reported by state media such as CCTV.
Senior political commentator Cai Shenkun stated in an interview with Radio Free Asia that the officials at the local level involved in this incident have become a focus of news reports as part of the CCP’s propaganda efforts to align with the “Eight Central Regulations Spirit Study Movement” initiated this year. He believes that this “study movement” led by Politburo Standing Committee members Cai Qi and Li Xi is meant to prepare for the upcoming Fourth Plenum, aiming to purge dissident voices within the party.
Speculation from external sources suggests that the 20th Fourth Plenum, conventionally held in the fall of the previous year, may take place this fall to discuss personnel arrangements. Rumors persist about Xi Jinping facing criticism from within the party and the possibility of being forced to resign from his position as General Secretary at the Fourth Plenum.
Cai Shenkun further mentioned that from March to July, authorities have dispatched inspection teams to various locations, clearly indicating that this is a movement. Dissatisfaction with Xi Jinping within the party is diverse, with many rumors originating from within the party, particularly from overseas sources. At CCP official gatherings, it is easy to hear grievances. This time the actual target is officials at various levels who are at odds with Xi Jinping, and a major purge is underway, with “violating the Eight Central Regulations” being the most convenient tool for rectification.
Professor Feng Chongyi from the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, noted that the current social situation in China is unfavorable and it is natural for officials to be dissatisfied. The “Eight Central Regulations” can also be used by officials as a means of mutual reporting and political struggles.
Renowned commentator Hu Ping pointed out that after the exposure of the incident involving a high-ranking official who died after a drinking session at the Qinghai Party School in April 2023, a round of alcohol bans was implemented in various official circles. In December 2022, six bureau-level officials in Qinghai province drank seven bottles of liquor during a dinner party at the provincial party school, resulting in one fatality. The incident was only reported almost six months later, shocking the nation and leading to investigations into party schools nationwide.
Subsequently, the Discipline Inspection Committee in Hunan province also reported that 11 leading cadres in Xiangxi Prefecture violated regulations by drinking during a concentrated study session focusing on the “20th Congress Spirit.”
Alcohol abuse within the military remains an ongoing issue with several incidents occurring. At the end of 2015, it was confirmed by the Ministry of National Defense that Army General Zhang Yan had a drinking session with two former subordinates from the 26th Army and 39th Army, leading to one fatality. Zhang Yan was subsequently removed from his position and demoted from the rank of general to deputy general. In September 2017, the political commissar of the 052D guided-missile destroyer Nanjing of the East Sea Fleet died of alcohol suffocation.
In a report dated June 30, 2005, in the “Maotai Liquor Report,” journalist Du Yan published an article titled “Zhejiang Provincial Party Secretary Xi Jinping meets with Ji Keliang and Yuan Renguo.” The report mentioned that in June of that year, Xi Jinping, who was then the Provincial Party Secretary of Zhejiang, met and hosted a banquet at the West Lake State Guesthouse with Ji Keli and Yuan Renguo, chairman of the Maotai Group and Maotai Liquor Co., Ltd. respectively. Yuan Renguo introduced the development of Maotai liquor, to which Xi Jinping responded that he has always enjoyed drinking Maotai. He even used an 80-year-old Maotai to entertain the former party leader in the previous year. His secretary, Li Qiang, who was present at the time, joked, “Secretary Xi is so healthy because he has been drinking Maotai for a long time.”
According to a report in the Hong Kong-based Ming Pao, in former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou’s “Eight Years of Administrative Memories,” the twelfth chapter mentioned that during the “Xi-Ma Meeting” in Singapore in November 2015, Xi Jinping revealed that the former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai’s limit was drinking a jin (Chinese unit of measurement) of Maotai. Whenever he reached his limit, his deputy, Xi Zhongxun, had to step in. Xi Zhongxun often staggered home at night. Xi Jinping initially couldn’t understand this but later realized that “this was his father’s job.”
Commentator Du Zheng wrote in an article for Taiwan’s Up Media, stating that alcohol and lust have been calamities throughout history. It is said that Xi Jinping once angrily reprimanded high-ranking CCP officials stating, “You people either die at the dinner table or in bed.” Xi sees the debauchery rampant in the official circles, observes the party on the verge of collapsing and being ruined, and recognizes the urgency. However, the CCP cannot completely ban alcohol now because Xi Jinping himself enjoys drinking. If this continues, even he might falter, leading to the downfall of the party and the nation.