The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held in Beijing from October 20th to 23rd amidst an unusually tense political atmosphere. Despite the purpose of setting the tone for the country’s next five-year plan (“15th Five-Year Plan”), the official media’s coverage on the first day of the meeting was remarkably low-key and mysterious, sparking strong external interest and speculation about the dynamics at the top levels of the CPC.
During the first day of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, state mouthpieces Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, and CCTV did not focus their reports on the meeting. Xinhua News Agency and People’s Daily simultaneously released a brief, emphasizing that the main task of the meeting was to formulate the 15th Five-Year Plan, highlighting the historic achievements of the 14th Five-Year Plan period and outlining high-quality development and technological self-reliance in the next five years, repeatedly mentioning “the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core.”
By the evening of that day, only a short message of about 100 words was released, stating that the Fourth Plenary Session had commenced, with “Xi Jinping delivering a work report on behalf of the Central Political Bureau to the session, and explaining the Draft Proposal of the CPC Central Committee on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development to the session.”
However, this report did not include any news images, speech excerpts, or venue scenes. This stark contrast to the usual concentrated, high-profile, and visually rich reporting style of similar high-level meetings in previous years is considered as “silent and imageless.”
CCTV’s “News Broadcast” unusually did not feature the Fourth Plenary Session as a significant report that evening, only briefly mentioning in the international news section, “The international community pays attention to the 20th CPC Fourth Plenary Session, expecting the meeting to inject new stability and confidence into the global economy.”
Against the backdrop of a recent purge in the top echelons of the CPC’s military (nine generals expelled from the party), the official media’s unusual reporting approach has made it difficult for outsiders to assess the true state of the CPC’s top leadership, exacerbating the perception of an “abnormally tense top-level situation.”
In the early hours of October 20th, Xinhua News Agency published a lengthy editorial titled “Ensuring Decisive Progress in Basic Realization of Socialist Modernization – Writing on the Eve of the 20th CPC Fourth Plenary Session.” The article repeatedly quoted and referred to “General Secretary Xi Jinping,” setting the tone for the discussion on the 15th Five-Year Plan during the plenary meeting.
Financial blogger “Huihu Talks Real Estate” summarized the editorial by Xinhua News Agency: its core idea attributes all past achievements to the “core” leadership and defends and promotes the future political line.
He stated that, firstly, the CPC does not acknowledge that China’s economy has encountered issues, claiming that under the core leadership of Xi Jinping, economic development and long-term social stability have achieved two miracles in world economic history – rapid economic growth and long-term social stability.
Secondly, the complexity of today’s society, without Xi Jinping’s guidance, would not have been able to achieve today’s accomplishments.
Thirdly, without Xi’s scientific guidance, today’s major achievements would not have been possible. The future success in managing the world’s second-largest economy and ensuring healthy economic development fundamentally depend on the core role of the CPC in economic, social, and development matters. Only by playing the core role can China steer this ship without derailing.
Based on this, “Huihu Talks Real Estate” believes that during the Fourth Plenary Session, there were essentially no news updates, and the so-called communique will only be released on the last day of the meeting.
He said, “I will give you a spoiler alert in advance regarding the communique: the content of the communique will encompass all aspects of China’s development. The final communique of the Fourth Plenary Session will provide everyone with a ‘prospect,’ draw a blueprint, and let the common people forever be leeks and servants to serve the organizations of the CPC.”
“Writer Huihu” also revealed that on the first day of the Fourth Plenary Session, a young woman who had been petitioning for a long time chose to end her life by jumping into the Yongding River in Beijing. However, despite the desperate situation, the top-level officials of the CPC and the official media continued with their song and dance. He believes that China’s economy is heading towards planned economy, and social governance is moving towards Koreanization, which is beyond doubt.
Just before the Fourth Plenary Session commenced, a new round of purges took place among the top ranks of the CPC’s military, with nine generals being expelled from the party.
A recent online leak is spreading rapidly. According to the leak, Xi Jinping will resign as the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, with Zhang Youxia taking over.
Political commentator “Yuan Cheng” stated that almost every paragraph of Xinhua News Agency’s editorial revolves around Xi Jinping, repeatedly mentioning the expression “the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core,” packaging the economic policies of the past five years as “great miracles.” However, the stark contrast between the economic downturn and financial strain in reality and this editorial is evident. Analysts familiar with the rhythm of CPC propaganda pointed out that it resembles a last-minute political patch to maintain stability. This move by Xinhua News Agency, even though outwardly displaying the stability of the “core,” could be an early political buffer for Xi Jinping’s orderly exit in the future.
Independent commentator Yue Shan believes that this type of Xinhua News Agency’s generic report often ostensibly praises the core but carries subtle sarcasm. It is a typical form of satire. The article attributes all success to the “core” while blaming economic downturns, debt inflation, and other issues on local failures or unfavorable international environments. This writing method of taking all credit for achievements and shifting all blame is not only an elevation on the surface but also a separation in reality, subtly exposing the fragility of the power structure.