The 4th Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) concluded yesterday as shown by CCTV footages of several rows of empty seats at the venue, leading to speculation about the absences of numerous officials and their whereabouts. The official meeting report stated that 168 Central Committee members and 147 alternate members were present, accounting for about 84% of the original Central Committee’s size.
A count by the Epoch Times revealed that 37 Central Committee members and 20 alternate members were absent, totaling 57 individuals. Absentees usually include those who have fallen from grace or taken sick leave.
According to Hong Kong media, “missing” are 3 Central Committee members: former Minister of the CCP Central Committee’s External Liaison Department Liu Jianchao, former Minister of Industry and Information Technology Jin Zhuanglong, and former Executive Deputy Director of the Central Military-Civilian Integration Office Lei Fanpei, all of whom did not attend the 4th Plenary Session.
Liu Jianchao has been replaced by Liu Haixing, while Jin Zhuanglong’s duties have been taken over by Li Lecheng. Since the disappearance of Lei Fanpei, the former Executive Deputy Director of the Central Military-Civilian Integration Office, his dismissal has not been officially announced.
Ma Xingrui, a Political Bureau member who was removed from the post of Xinjiang Secretary in July, is stated by officials to have been “appointed elsewhere,” with his current whereabouts unknown. Minister of the General Office of the Military Commission, Zhong Shaojun, who was transferred to serve as the political commissar of the National Defense University, is reportedly facing removal. Nonetheless, from CCTV’s news coverage of the 4th Plenary Session, Ma Xingrui was present at the meeting, and Zhong Shaojun also appeared in the footage.
Previously unidentified, at least 9 Central Committee members have been rumored to be under investigation, including the long-missing and reportedly investigated Commander of the Western Theater Command, Wang Haijiang; Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Central Military Commission, Wang Renhua; Political Commissar of the Armed Police Force, Zhang Hongbing; Navy Commander Hu Zhongming, who was reportedly dismissed in June; Tibet Military Area Commander Wang Kai, who was absent when Xi Jinping met with officers from the Lhasa garrison in August; Army Commander Li Qiaoming, Political Commissar of the Information Support Force Li Wei; Commander of the Central Theater Command Wang Qiang, and Political Commissar Xu Deqing.
Additionally, the whereabouts of Central Committee alternate members who were dismissed remain unknown, including the Chairman of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Yuan Jie and the Chairman of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Wen Gang.
It is currently unknown which members of the Central Committee were absent from the meeting. CCTV’s video footage of the session showed three rows of staggered empty seats in the middle of the venue, with a row of tables still bearing teacups, sparking speculations.
Some netizens commented that “Central Committee members and alternate members are seated separately, and when alternate members are promoted, they move immediately to the Central Committee members’ seats, so those empty seats are reserved for them.” “The seating for Central Committee alternate members needs to be separated.” “The officials sitting at the back are government department heads in attendance, not Central Committee members or alternates.”
The increasing number of high-ranking officials “missing” from the ranks of the CCP has sparked external attention to the party’s political landscape.
Independent commentator Du Zheng wrote in an article for Taiwan’s Up Media on March 8 that the CCP’s current political climate is characterized by “internal handling,” with many individuals facing secretive trials and punishments, including executions.
Former high-ranking official who fled to the United States, Zhou Guogang, revealed in an interview with The Epoch Times that an official from the CCP’s National Military Commission disclosed during a party study session that many officials are sentenced to death each year, but these cases are never made public.
Exiled liberal legal scholar Yuan Hongbing once disclosed that after Xi Jinping’s confidante and Political Director of the Central Military Commission Miao Hua encountered trouble last year, more than 600 of his subordinates were thoroughly purged.