As the Fourth Plenum approaches, the power struggle in Zhongnanhai has become increasingly intense and varied.
A few days ago, a set of five remarks attributed to Zhang Yuxia were widely circulated on the internet, causing a significant stir within the military. The most crucial of Zhang Yuxia’s statements was that if Xi Jinping does not step down, the military will cause trouble, and he will not be able to control the situation.
Meanwhile, the latest leaked information suggests that Xi Jinping suddenly suffered a stroke and was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.
Is Xi Jinping really having a stroke? Or is he “having a stroke” under pressure from the military?
Today, let’s look at the latest developments in the power struggle in Zhongnanhai in Focus Epoch.
On October 9th, a shocking message exploded on the internet, claiming that the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping, had suddenly suffered a stroke and was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.
The source of this news was Du Wen, the former executive director of the Legal Advisory Office of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Communist Party of China.
Du Wen announced this sudden news on his YouTube program around 7 p.m. Beijing time on October 9th. He revealed that an insider of the Chinese Communist Party suddenly leaked to him that Xi Jinping had a sudden stroke in Beijing that day, the situation was extremely dangerous, and he was currently undergoing emergency treatment. At the same time, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who was visiting North Korea, reportedly received an urgent order to return to China.
Du Wen also stated that this news currently only comes from a single source and has not been independently confirmed. Due to the gravity of the situation, it can only be disclosed at this stage, awaiting further verification.
The dissemination of this news by Du Wen sparked hot debates on the internet. However, this seemingly sensational news had long been anticipated by many political commentators.
In previous programs, we have mentioned multiple times that Hu Jintao has been hoping Xi Jinping would voluntarily resign due to health reasons to protect the party’s face and avoid making internal struggles public.
On the military side, Zhang Yuxia directed the 82nd Army to surround Beijing, pressuring Xi Jinping with military coercion to ensure that he resigns voluntarily at the Fourth Plenum for health reasons, without giving him a chance to play tricks or delay.
So, we can consider this: if Xi Jinping were to write a resignation letter, wouldn’t he need to first stage a sudden health issue leading to hospitalization as a drama?
Of course, it is still unconfirmed whether Xi Jinping is actually hospitalized due to a stroke. But as Zhang Yuxia’s remarks continue to ferment on the internet and under the heavy warning that if Xi Jinping does not step down, the military will cause chaos, the news of Xi Jinping suffering a stroke immediately followed, seamlessly connecting the two acts of this drama.
The influence of Zhang Yuxia’s “five remarks” has far exceeded expectations of the general public.
On October 6th, political commentator “Shan Hedo” revealed in his YouTube program that Zhang Yuxia and Liu Yuan recently met with Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, summoning Wang Yang and Hu Chunhua to discuss Xi Jinping’s departure and possible extreme scenarios in the future. During the meeting, Zhang Yuxia made five shocking statements, pointing directly at the sensitive point of the current party situation.
On October 7th, based on “Shan Hedo’s” disclosure, we produced a related program summarizing the core content of Zhang Yuxia’s five major statements. The main point is if Xi Jinping refuses to step down, the military might spiral out of control, eventually leading to potential internal conflict and unpredictable results.
Our program also analyzed the tense standoff between the anti-Xi faction led by Zhang Yuxia and the Xi Jinping faction. Addressing the dilemma faced by the anti-Xi faction, we suggested that military leaders like Zhang Yuxia should follow the example of the Chen Qiao mutiny, taking decisive action without heed to empty talk of party unity. At critical times, the priority should be ensuring the success of the rebellion.
In addition to video content, our program also has a text version on the website. The content of Zhang Yuxia’s five statements was widely circulated through our website articles, quickly spreading across the internet.
Former Chinese Navy Colonel and Staff Officer Yao Cheng recently confirmed that Zhang Yuxia’s five statements have spread within the Chinese military, sparking strong reactions.
On October 9th, former Chinese Navy Colonel and Staff Officer Yao Cheng announced on his YouTube program that he had a 99% confirmed message to share with everyone.
He mentioned that a few days ago, rumors of Zhang Yuxia’s five statements spread on the internet. He initially thought it was just gossip because there are too many storytellers online nowadays. However, this matter has caused a particularly strong reaction within the military. Currently, whenever you chat with the military, the predominant topic is this.
Yao Cheng stated that one of Zhang Yuxia’s significant statements is, “If you, Xi Jinping, do not resign as the chairman of the Military Commission, you will not be able to manage the military. If the military wants to take action, you will be powerless to control it.”
Yao Cheng expressed that what Zhang Yuxia said is a fact. How this statement reached the military is not entirely clear to him. However, in the current age of the internet, once something is spread, it is not surprising. Especially considering the strong dissatisfaction within the military towards Xi Jinping in his position as Chairman of the Military Commission. Zhang Yuxia’s statement is quite realistic; if Xi Jinping continues as the Chairman of the Military Commission and the military does not support him, there is a possibility of strife within the military, resulting in instability.
Yao Cheng speculated, “Will Xi Jinping resign as the general secretary of the Communist Party?” He admitted he is uncertain about party meetings and therefore cannot conclusively say. But he firmly believes, “Today, I can conclude that Xi Jinping cannot be the Chairman of the Military Commission anymore. He will have to resign, using a health reason to step down as the Chairman of the Military Commission.”
Yao Cheng emphasized that the entire military is waiting; they are unable to accomplish anything now and are simply awaiting Xi Jinping’s stepping down. Once Xi Jinping steps down, a new Military Commission will be established, and a meeting will be convened to ensure the military transitions smoothly.
Yao Cheng remarked that Xi Jinping has a sense of self-awareness; he knows that if he forcibly remains in power, the consequences will be dire. Therefore, willingly resigning as the Chairman of the Military Commission is his best choice. He may not even attend the Fourth Plenum; a resignation letter will suffice.
Yao Cheng believes that Xi Jinping stepping down is a good thing for the military, the country, and the world.
Now, let’s talk about Xi Jinping’s stroke. Xi Jinping’s misfortune is closely related to his stroke. Obviously, this is not Xi Jinping’s first stroke, but it is likely his final one.
During the 20th Third Plenum of the Chinese Communist Party last July, Xi Jinping suddenly had a stroke and fell into a coma. Zhang Yuxia and Liu Yuan immediately contacted Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, taking decisive action to seize Xi Jinping’s supreme military power.
Subsequently, a life-and-death battle ensued between Zhang Yuxia’s military faction and the elderly faction represented by Wen Jiabao in various arenas like the military, party-state system, economic policies, and diplomacy.
From last July until now, in over a year, the Chinese Communist Party’s military has undergone the most extensive purge of senior commanders since the Cultural Revolution. Starting from the Vice Chairman of the Military Commission He Weidong, Military Committee Member Miao Hua, to the Eastern Theater Command Commander Lin Xiangyang, Political Commissar Liu Qingsong, Western Theater Command Commander Wang Haijiang, Central Theater Command Commander Wang Qiang, and Political Commissar Xu Deqing, all have either disappeared or been officially announced to be sacked. These senior commanders were all Xi Jinping’s loyalists but were purged by Zhang Yuxia.
In May this year, Xi Jinping was ordered by Wen Jiabao to reflect in Luoyang. During his time in Luoyang, it is rumored that Wen Jiabao arranged a video call between Xi Jinping and Zhang Yuxia. Xi Jinping apologized to Zhang Yuxia, and Zhang Yuxia assured Xi Jinping that he would not do anything extreme, showing regard for Xi Jinping’s mother, Qi Xin. In other words, he would not harm Xi Jinping’s life.
During this meeting, it is said that under Wen Jiabao’s persuasion, Wang Yang agreed to take on the role of Acting General Secretary of the Communist Party of China. With Xi Jinping stepping down, Wang Yang taking over, the basic framework for the personnel arrangements of the Fourth Plenum was thus established.
Subsequently, elderly figures like Wen Jiabao began to establish the “Central Party’s Decision-Making Coordination Mechanism” and declared its establishment at the end of June, taking over the power of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China. Wen Jiabao is the actual power holder of this mechanism, while Wang Yang is responsible for daily operations.
Since most central committee members in the party-state system are still part of the Xi faction, Xi Jinping still retains hopes of a comeback. In the run-up to the Fourth Plenum, the internal struggle in Zhongnanhai remains fierce.
It is said that Xi Jinping recently sought a meeting with Hu Jintao along with six members of the Political Bureau Standing Committee, hoping to seek a lifeline and continue ruling until the 21st Congress. However, Hu Jintao refused to meet him, and through Wang Yang, relayed eight sentences that shattered Xi Jinping’s hopes.
Xi Jinping cannot visit North Korea now; Wen Jiabao sent Li Qiang to attend the 80th anniversary celebration of the Korean Labor Party. Xi Jinping can only appear at insignificant domestic events.
With only 11 days left until the Fourth Plenum, the news of Xi Jinping suffering a stroke came as no surprise to the outside world. The content of this drama had already been spoiled by many political commentators and experts in advance.
Regardless of whether this disclosure is true or false, it has sent a clear signal that the new round of reshuffling the highest powers within the CCP is irreversible.
The upcoming Fourth Plenum will be a watershed moment for a thorough reshaping of the power structure within the CCP.
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I have turned the original article into a lengthy and rewritten English version, omitting the original author’s details and adding line breaks between paragraphs for clarity and readability.