In recent days, an open letter allegedly written by Ren Zhiqiang’s daughter, Ren Xinyi, to Xi Jinping has been circulating on the internet. Former Chinese media person Zhao Lanjian revealed to Dajiyuan his early relationship with Ren Zhiqiang and the little-known stories among the princelings of the Chinese Communist Party. It is said that Ren Zhiqiang and others once sought to improve the Communist regime with the help of Wang Qishan’s influence, but later abandoned the plan after Wang Qishan fell out of favor.
73-year-old Ren Zhiqiang is a prominent Chinese entrepreneur who was the chairman of the Beijing Huayuan Real Estate and the deputy secretary of the party committee and chairman of the Huayuan Group. He is a second-generation red, with his father Ren Quansheng being a former deputy minister of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. Ren Zhiqiang is known for his outspokenness and was referred to as “Ren Canon”. In 2016, he criticized the “Party media serving the party” on Weibo. In 2020, he criticized Xi Jinping’s epidemic prevention policy and was sentenced to 18 years on corruption charges.
Former Chinese media person Zhao Lanjian, now living in the United States, told Dajiyuan on October 7th that when he was in China, he had a lot of contact with Ren Zhiqiang between 2007 and 2008. At that time, Ren Zhiqiang participated in some closed-door meetings arranged by his boss, who was close to Deng Xiaoping’s daughter, Deng Nan.
Zhao Lanjian said that one of the meetings was held on the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year in 2007 at the Windmill Villa in Yabuli, Heilongjiang. The Chinese Entrepreneurs Forum back then was a small gathering circle, and he took many photos of Ren Zhiqiang and got to know him well.
He mentioned that among the attendees were Ren Zhiqiang, Jack Ma, Chen Dongsheng (Mao Zedong’s grandson-in-law), and Pan Shiyi. Everyone wanted to use the relationships of Chen Dongsheng and Ren Zhiqiang to push for reforms in the Chinese political system to safeguard the rights of entrepreneurs and gain political power.
The group of entrepreneurs were aiming for political resources, not just traditional parliamentary representatives, but also to compete for leadership at the provincial or even national level, at least as mayor.
Furthermore, Zhao Lanjian explained that in western countries, major capitalists can become elected officials, gaining not only business benefits but also political advantages. However, in China, the separation between government and business is clear. Even if you are a red second-generation businessman, you are just a businessman, and it is impossible to become a leader at the provincial or city level. The social system is entirely different.
At the time, they hoped that people with high-level connections could drive the direction of social development. After shaking up the existing political system, they wanted to redistribute power to the private sector, as Chinese people lack voting and election rights, and the People’s Congress elections are fake.
Ren Zhiqiang had been good friends with Wang Qishan, a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s princeling group and Vice President of China. He had previously recounted their relationship in his memoir. In the autumn of 1964, Ren Zhiqiang attended the 35th Middle School in Beijing, where Wang Qishan, who was in the second year of high school, was his counselor. Ren Zhiqiang mentioned keeping in touch with Wang even after Wang became the Vice Premier, often receiving late-night phone calls from him.
Wang Qishan served as a member of the Central Political Bureau and Secretary of the CCP Disciplinary Commission during Xi Jinping’s first term.
Zhao Lanjian stated that they had hoped to change things in the Chinese political landscape using figures like Wang Qishan after he became close to Xi Jinping. Following Xi Jinping’s rise to power, Wang Qishan became an instrument to crack down on corrupt officials, mostly affiliated with the previous leaders Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, leading to his moment of influence.
Moreover, Ren Zhiqiang had more opportunities to move his assets abroad, but he chose to stay in China to promote social improvement. His main support was Wang Qishan, but after Xi Jinping consolidated power, Wang Qishan was sidelined.
After the 19th National Congress of the CCP in 2017, Wang Qishan was reassigned to the titular position of Vice President of the country, leading to his marginalization. Zhao Lanjian mentioned that during a recent event, Wang Qishan appeared with almost no smile, indicating his complex emotions. Although he made significant contributions to Xi Jinping, he is now isolated.
From March 2020 until September, when Ren Zhiqiang received a heavy sentence, no other red second-generation figures in China stepped up to defend him.
Cai Xia, a former professor at the Central Party School familiar with Ren Zhiqiang, mentioned to Radio Free Asia that Wang Qishan always had reservations and couldn’t align himself too closely with Ren Zhiqiang. If Wang had tied himself tightly to Ren, he would have become Ren’s background support. Their goals differed; Ren Zhiqiang wanted China to move toward freedom and democracy, seeking to change the system, which was not Wang Qishan’s agenda.
Zhao Lanjian’s revelations about the wealthy elite gatherings align with the activities of Ren Zhiqiang’s old friend Jack Ma in recent years.
Alibaba founder Jack Ma had a private club called “Jiangnan Club” where entrepreneurs frequently gathered. Later, he founded the Hangzhou Hupan University, attracting business elites for learning. Since the end of 2020, Jack Ma has come under pressure from the CCP’s financial regulatory authorities after criticizing them in Shanghai, leading to various setbacks, including regulatory actions against Hupan University. Many likened the events to the historical political group “East Forest Party” formed by officials from various provinces during the late Ming Dynasty, which was later purged.
The once prestigious wealthy clubs in China, such as the “Taishan Club” led by Liu Chuanzhi and the “Jiangnan Club” led by Jack Ma, have disappeared in the current oppressive atmosphere.
Zhao Lanjian expressed that the Ren Zhiqiang group were initially upholders of the CCP system but also victims of the Communist Party, eventually becoming sacrifices of the system.
“Ren Zhiqiang may have wanted to reform the existing social system within the Communist Party before he was imprisoned; he didn’t aim to overthrow it. Only when the organization dealt him a heavy blow, he might have had a conscious awakening, but it was too late, as he was already in prison. His daughter’s appeal may touch people, but it won’t yield any results.”
Despite this, Zhao Lanjian admires Ren Zhiqiang, “I particularly admire Ren Zhiqiang’s courage because in China, everyone remains silent. However, Ren Zhiqiang in 2007 and 2008 aimed to drive social change and continued to speak up for the people in 2020 amidst the chaotic epidemic response, a rare behavior in this society.”