Today’s Spotlight: Beijing vigorously conceals military exercise information, but unfortunately Russia does not cooperate, exposing the CCP’s bottom line; The fox hunter becomes prey! Why was Liu Jianchao taken away?
Recently, the Chinese navy led a fleet to visit Vladivostok and conducted joint military exercises with the Russian navy.
Regarding the exercise, Xinhua News Agency reported “China-Russia ‘Maritime Joint-2025’ Joint Exercise Opens.” It stated that from August 1st to 5th, the Chinese and Russian navies conducted exercises in Vladivostok, Russia.
For friends not familiar with Russia, they may be hearing about “Vladivostok” (Владивосток) for the first time. This place was once Chinese territory until it was ceded in 1860 under pressure by Tsarist Russia through the signing of the “Treaty of Beijing.” It has a name familiar to Chinese people, which is “Hǎishēnwāi.”
“Vladivostok” is a transliteration from Russian and, when translated into Chinese, means “ruling the East” or “conquering the East.” In other words, the Russian name for Vladivostok carries an aggressive connotation.
As an official media outlet, both in terms of national recognition and national position, Xinhua should use “Hǎishēnwāi” rather than “Vladivostok,” but Xinhua did use “Vladivostok,” why is that?
Because for the CCP, this exercise is an embarrassing matter, something they didn’t want to report on according to their original intention. But from a political perspective, they have to report it. To reduce public awareness, they want to handle it as quietly as possible.
In addition to the place name, Xinhua also omitted the participation of the Kilo-class submarine in the exercise, known as the “Great Wall 210”. However, Russia deliberately exposed this operation by Xinhua. What’s the story behind this? Let’s take a look:
Columnist Shen Zhou wrote in Dajiyuan that the “Great Wall 210” had arrived in Vladivostok as early as July 31, with Russian media openly releasing relevant photos and videos.
Russia did this because it had previously used nuclear threats against the world. In retaliation, U.S. President Trump ordered two U.S. nuclear submarines to approach Russian waters.
Given that anti-submarine exercises are sensitive, to allay US concerns, the Russian Pacific Fleet publicly announced that this exercise was of a “defensive nature and not aimed at any country.”
Furthermore, the Russian military listed the exercise subjects and the warships from both Russia and China participating in the exercise.
The reason Xinhua omitted the participation of the submarine in the exercise is that the CCP is more afraid of attracting the attention of the United States and its allies than Russia. There are two reasons:
One is that U.S. President Trump is pressuring Moscow to secure a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire. At this time, the CCP wanted to express support for the Kremlin but did not want to get involved. Thus, the CCP media simultaneously highlighted the China-Russia joint exercise while downplaying, deliberately omitting the participation of the Chinese Navy submarine.
Additionally, if the CCP submarines went to the Sea of Japan, it would inevitably attract the attention of the U.S., Japan, and South Korea. The CCP believed that external pressure had already peaked, so it had to conceal the submarine’s participation in the exercise. This concealment underlines how unique the CCP’s handling of international affairs can be.
Another reason is that the “Great Wall 210” submarine was purchased from Russia, and now returning to participate in the exercise in Russian waters is quite awkward and difficult to use for political propaganda purposes.
It’s worth noting that the submarines participating in the exercise from the Russian military and the CCP are both improved versions of the Kilo-class submarine.
Then, what is a Kilo-class submarine? This type of submarine was designed by the former Soviet Union in the 1970s as a diesel-electric submarine and entered service in 1980. After the Cold War, Russia improved it, referred to as the Improved Kilo-class submarine, and sold it to several countries. The Kilo-class submarine is suitable for conducting anti-ship and anti-submarine missions in coastal waters, with a displacement of three to four thousand tons underwater, capable of launching torpedoes and cruise missiles. Although it is still a mainstay conventional submarine in the Russian military, it has fallen behind significantly in terms of technology today.
In political terms, the CCP didn’t want to make this exercise too high-profile. Militarily, this type of submarine is old and quite awkward, lacking any capital to show off. Therefore, the CCP official media chose to “turn a blind eye” in the reports, pretending the submarine never participated. However, this was soon exposed by the Russian side.
One might notice that the submarines participating in the exercise this time are not the CCP’s self-proclaimed “indigenously developed” new submarines but directly imported older models from Russia. Why is this?
In fact, the CCP has been trying to purchase nuclear-powered submarines from the Russian military, but Russia staunchly refused, only willing to sell outdated Kilo-class submarines. The CCP had no choice but to try to mimic them, leading to difficulties. Although some submarines were imitated, their overall performance fell short. Consequently, in 2005, the CCP stopped copying.
Later, the CCP imported 10 improved Kilo-class submarines. Subsequently, they started a new round of imitation, producing Type 039A, B, and C submarines, with 20 submarines currently in service. NATO refers to them as Yuan-class submarines, the mainstay conventional power submarines in the Chinese Navy.
Despite multiple modifications, the submarines imitated by the CCP are still shadowed by the improved Russian Kilo-class submarines. The CCP could have deployed its latest submarines during this exercise, claiming them as “independently developed and produced by China.” However, the CCP estimated that being mocked by Russia as “these submarines are not original but imitations” would be disastrous. Hence, they deployed submarines directly imported from Russia to avoid embarrassment.
Even more embarrassing is that the submarines imitated by the CCP, although capable of launching anti-ship missiles, are inferior. Currently, the CCP is developing Type 041 submarines, known as the Zhou-class by NATO, which should be equipped with small nuclear reactors and become small nuclear-powered submarines. This indicates that the CCP also realizes that the Russian-style conventional power submarines have little room for further development and will eventually have to follow the path of U.S. nuclear submarines.
It is for these reasons that the Chinese media were asked to keep a low profile during this exercise, particularly regarding the submarines. Nevertheless, Russia did not cooperate because it urgently needed to use this incident as a bargaining chip, resulting in the CCP’s embarrassment once again.
Now, let’s take a look at the specifics of Russia’s actions:
On August 6th, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that during the joint anti-submarine exercise held in the Sea of Japan, the Russian military discovered and destroyed a simulated enemy submarine.
From this, it can be seen that although Russia claims the exercises are not targeted at other countries, they deliberately publicized the specific anti-submarine warfare contents post-exercise, intending a veiled demonstration to the U.S. through the CCP. The CCP knows it is being exploited but had no choice but to participate in the exercise and handle it quietly.
During the evacuation exercise, both China and Russia simulated emergency situations. Afterwards, the Russian Ministry of Defense proudly claimed that Russian rescue personnel shared their experiences with Chinese colleagues, showcasing the performance of modern medical equipment, pressure chambers, and deep-sea rescue submersibles.
From the tone of the Russian military, they are passing on experiences to the CCP, implying that the Chinese Navy is still learning from the Russian military. And such information is precisely what the CCP does not want to disclose.
Additionally, although the primary mission of the Chinese Navy Marine Corps is to land on Taiwan, in the exercise, they were repelled or defeated, not the ideal scenario for the CCP. Still, the CCP had previously stated in advance that they were conducting defensive exercises with the Russian military and could only comply with the arrangements.
Ultimately, the CCP running to Vladivostok, to land that has been ceded by China, to participate in an exercise aimed at helping Russia defend its territory, is truly awkward for the CCP. The CCP wanted to hide, but got exposed by the other party, leaving them not only losing face but also at a loss for words to describe the situation.
Various sources indicate that Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Liaison Department of the CCP Central Committee, is in trouble and under investigation.
Reuters reported on August 11 that, after concluding visits to Singapore, South Africa, and Algeria in late July, the 61-year-old Liu Jianchao was brought in for questioning upon returning to China at the beginning of August, with his residence being searched.
As early as August 9, The Wall Street Journal mentioned that Liu Jianchao was taken in for questioning by authorities after completing foreign visits, and the reasons are unclear.
If true, Liu Jianchao will be the highest-ranking official in the CCP’s foreign affairs system to be investigated since former Foreign Minister Qin Gang was dismissed in 2023.
As of now, on the website of the International Liaison Department, Liu Jianchao is still listed as Minister. However, there is ongoing speculation about Liu Jianchao’s situation.
Since starting his work, Liu Jianchao has been in the Chinese Foreign Ministry, serving as the spokesperson for the Ministry’s news department, Ambassador to overseas countries, etc. In 2015, he was selected by Wang Qishan and entered the Discipline Inspection Commission, serving as the Director of the International Cooperation Bureau of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, being an important executor in the “Operation Foxhunt,” specifically targeting corrupt officials across borders. In 2017, Liu Jianchao moved to Zhejiang and became a member of the provincial Supervisory Commission and the provincial Discipline Inspection Commission secretary. In 2018, Liu Jianchao returned to the Foreign Ministry, and in May 2022, he became the Minister of the International Liaison Department.
Upon his return to the Foreign Ministry, Liu Jianchao was quite active. Speculation abounds outside that he might succeed Wang Yi as the new Foreign Minister.
Referring to a potential successor to Wang Yi, a researcher at the China Global Affairs Center at the Atlantic Council, Song Wendi, stated to Reuters that if Liu Jianchao is indeed brought down, a “power vacuum” will appear at the high level of the CCP’s foreign affairs, especially considering that Wang Yi is already in his 70s.
Regarding why Liu Jianchao is under investigation, there are many rumors in the market. Some say that, while serving as the Director of the International Cooperation Bureau of the Discipline Inspection Commission during the “Operation Foxhunt” abroad, Liu Jianchao colluded with foreign banks, helping corrupt officials establish family trusts overseas to facilitate the transfer of money abroad.
There are also rumors that Liu Jianchao’s investigation is due to suspicions of leaking secrets.
However, to date, none of this information has been confirmed.
Radio France International published an article on August 12 stating that both Qin Gang and Liu Jianchao were diplomats personally promoted by Xi Jinping, rising to the level of the 20th Central Committee. Both disappeared abruptly from ministerial positions. However, Qin Gang’s downfall was related to an “extramarital affair,” while Liu Jianchao’s situation appears to be more serious. He was a significant executor in the “Operation Foxhunt,” but now he appears to have been “hunted down” by the hunters.
Some analysts say that Liu Jianchao has excellent English, quick on his feet, able to speak without a script, and thrived in the diplomatic system. However, in the CCP’s officialdom, such exceptional abilities might provoke upper-level caution and suspicion of “overstepping.” Moreover, before receiving a formal appointment, Liu Jianchao self-identified as the incoming Foreign Minister, a political incorrectness that raised doubts in Beijing.
A senior Japanese media figure, Akio Yaita, wrote on X platform that Liu Jianchao was a top contender for the next Foreign Minister. His removal indicates that Wang Yi will hold the position of Foreign Minister for a long time. Therefore, he believes that Liu Jianchao was likely taken down by political enemies.
Former officials from the CCP’s Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Department, Wang Youqun, told Dajiyuan that both Qin Gang and Liu Jianchao were hand-picked by Xi Jinping and were critical confidants of Xi in foreign affairs. Qin Gang’s fall from grace dealt the heaviest blow to Xi Jinping. The arrest of Liu Jianchao is another significant blow to Xi.
——End of Dajiyuan Focus Production