August 22 marked the 120th anniversary of the birth of former Chinese Communist Party leader Deng Xiaoping. An official commemorative symposium was held, and descendants of Deng Xiaoping, including his eldest grandson Deng Zhuodi, attended the event. In recent years, there have been continuous rumors of discord between current party leader Xi Jinping and the Deng family.
According to footage from CCTV, Deng Xiaoping’s eldest son, Deng Pufang, his second son, Deng Zhifang, his daughters Deng Lin, Deng Nan, Deng Rong, and his grandson Deng Zhuodi were all present at the event.
Deng Zhuodi, aged 37, is the son of Deng Zhifang. He graduated from the Law Department of Peking University, studied abroad in the United States, and upon returning to China, served as Deputy County Head of Pingguo County and Secretary of the Xin’an Township Party Committee in Guangxi. He relinquished these positions in 2016.
On April 18 this year, the Hong Kong media “Sing Tao Daily” reported that “China Credit” showed that Deng Zhuodi has been appointed as a supervisor of the Central Finance Limited.
Central Finance is a subsidiary of the state-owned enterprise CITIC Group. Established in 1979 with the support of Deng Xiaoping, CITIC Group (formerly known as China International Trust and Investment Corporation) was founded by the “red capitalist” Rong Yiren.
Xi Jinping’s recent shift towards leftist policies has caused dissatisfaction among many within the system. Those opposed to Xi Jinping occasionally bring up the Deng family, invoking the banner of “reform and opening up,” in what is termed “support Deng, pressure Xi,” with a surge of online rumors.
At the closing ceremony of the seventh congress of the China Association for Promoting Democracy in 2018, Deng Pufang delivered a speech. He repeatedly mentioned his father, Deng Xiaoping, emphasizing the need to maintain a “seeking truth from facts” attitude, keep a clear mind, understand one’s own capacity without being arrogant or self-deprecating, and more. This speech was interpreted by overseas public opinion as a veiled critique of Xi Jinping, leading to temporary unavailability of the official China Association for Promoting Democracy website.
In March 2018, following Xi Jinping’s constitutional amendment to extend his term as President, Deng Pufang’s friend Fan Liqin posted a large character poster at Peking University on May 4 criticizing Xi Jinping for cultivating personality cult and abolishing term limits. At that time, campus security surrounded Fan, but did not dare to forcibly remove him. The incident caused quite a stir.
Wu Xiaohui, the grandson-in-law of Deng Xiaoping and founder of Anbang Group, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for fundraising fraud on May 10, 2018, with assets worth 10.5 billion RMB confiscated. The following year, a further 75.24851 billion RMB of illegal gains were recovered. Despite his divorce from Deng Xiaoping’s granddaughter, the Wu Xiaohui case is still seen as a blow to the Deng Xiaoping family.
At the eighth congress of the China Association for Promoting Democracy on September 20, 2023, Deng Pufang officially stepped down from his control of the Association after more than 30 years.