On August 9th, the official Chinese Communist Party media, People’s Daily, released an article about experts’ “Summer Vacation Notes” in Beidaihe. However, the whereabouts of the top Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership remain unknown. For two consecutive days, People’s Daily did not feature any articles about the party leader Xi Jinping, triggering speculation. The CCP has recently been facing a series of challenges, with propaganda mishaps occurring in the past few days.
Many netizens have posted on overseas platforms showing that Xi Jinping was not featured on the front page of People’s Daily on August 9th. Netizens have been discussing, “Where has the core disappeared?” and recalling past instances where Xi Jinping was out of the public eye during meetings in Beidaihe, leading to rumors about his well-being.
Upon reviewing the electronic version of People’s Daily on August 10th, it was observed that there were still no articles prominently featuring Xi Jinping on the front page.
Since Xi Jinping took office, the CCP’s official media has heavily emphasized loyalty to the party, with official propaganda efforts frequently highlighting Xi’s personal achievements. People’s Daily had once featured Xi Jinping’s name in every headline on the front page.
However, in the past five years, there have been multiple occasions where Xi Jinping’s name disappeared from the headlines of People’s Daily.
In 2018, during the controversy surrounding Xi Jinping’s constitutional amendments to extend his presidency and the cult of personality around him resembling Mao Zedong, his name was notably missing from the front page of People’s Daily on several occasions in July.
During the 19th Central Committee’s sixth plenum in 2016, Xi Jinping officially established his position as the “core” of the CCP. While in office, there were instances where Xi’s absence from the front page was noted significantly less in 2018.
Scholars and observers closely monitor People’s Daily for visual cues, but interpretations of these signals often vary and lead to confusion. Reports of Xi Jinping’s absence from People’s Daily have circulated on multiple occasions.
During the 20th Central Committee’s second plenum from July 15th to 18th, there was a notable lack of publicized events from the official media, leading to rumors about Xi Jinping’s health issues and his absence from the meetings. However, footage released later showed Xi Jinping attending the closing ceremony of the plenum, dispelling these rumors.
An unusual incident occurred during the plenum as well when a lengthy article titled “Reformer Xi Jinping” praising Xi’s leadership as a reformer was abruptly taken down from the Chinese internet before the plenum ended. The removal of the article sparked speculation about the reasons behind it, with theories ranging from excessive praise to ulterior motives circulating online.
Amidst recent political and economic turmoil within the CCP, key figures in the party, including previous Defense Ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, faced disciplinary actions, and former Foreign Minister Qin Gang was expelled from the Central Committee before the plenum. These developments, along with a string of market downturns post-plenum, have heightened concerns about power struggles within the party.
Moreover, the CCP’s economic struggles, despite efforts to revive the economy post-COVID lockdowns, have faced setbacks, with stock markets experiencing declines following the plenum. On August 9th, the A-share market recorded a significant drop, with the Shanghai Composite Index falling below the 2900-point mark.
During the recent vacation period in Beidaihe, CCP’s propaganda efforts appeared to spiral out of control, with government officials engaging in public online denouncements of their colleagues. Reports about unethical practices within state-owned enterprises and the government’s crackdown on online dissent have caused public outrage and triggered intense debates.
These incidents have shined a light on the internal dynamics and power struggles within the CCP. As the party grapples with multiple challenges, both internally and externally, the recent events have left many observers speculating about the future direction of China’s leadership under Xi Jinping’s regime.