The political situation within the Chinese Communist Party is strange and ever-changing, with various rumors circulating ahead of the Fourth Plenary Session. Since the start of the two sessions of the CCP this year, there have been frequent unfavorable news about Zhao Leji, the Chairman of the National People’s Congress and the third-ranking official in the party.
On May 12th, independent commentator Cai Shenkun revealed in his self-media program that there was news circulating in China in the past few days that Zhao Leji would step down as a member of the Standing Committee and Chairman of the National People’s Congress at the Fourth Plenary Session. Yesterday (May 11th), there was also news that Zhao Leji’s family members were inexplicably investigated. It is unknown if the news is true, but if high-level political struggles begin to affect family members, the upcoming drama may become even more exciting.
Cai Shenkun stated that during Zhao Leji’s tenure as head of the Organization Department and Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, he promoted many of Xi Jinping’s proteges as instructed and helped Xi purge a large number of political enemies, including associates of the former Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Wang Qishan. Unexpectedly, now even Zhao Leji’s loyalists are being indiscriminately purged.
During this year’s two sessions of the CCP, Zhao Leji was absent from several meetings in succession. On March 11th, he was absent from the closing session of the National People’s Congress, and it was officially announced that Zhao Leji was on sick leave due to a respiratory infection. On the 12th, party media once again made him “appear.” The measures taken by the Beijing authorities are considered extremely unusual by outsiders and have sparked many speculations about infighting within the official circles.
Cai Shenkun mentioned that now even those close to Zhao Leji cannot be safe. He publicly missed the closing ceremony of the two sessions this year, but the next day, Zhao Leji made a high-profile appearance, indicating that there was nothing wrong with his health. This shows that the internal power struggle within the top echelons of the CCP has become public and no longer bothers about saving face, and the challenges Xi faces are also becoming public.
On March 12th, Wang Anna (also known as Wang Ruiqin), a former member of the Qinghai Province Political Consultative Conference and the founder of Guang Media, posted on an overseas platform, “From what I know, it is more likely that something happened to Zhao Leji. The latest news is that his staunch ally, former Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, former Governor of Qinghai Province, and former Mayor of Xining, Luo Yulin, died in prison over a week ago, which is a very unusual event.”
Wang Ruiqin stated that after Luo Yulin fell from grace, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection had summoned around one hundred people, and Qinghai had summoned around one to two hundred people. The officialdom was in a state of turmoil, and people were in a state of panic, generally believing that this was directed at Zhao Leji.
What will be the next step in the officialdom of the CCP? We will continue to pay attention.