On December 17, 2024, according to a report by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Chinese Communist Party on December 16, it was revealed that Wang Zhenwang, a member of the Communist Party branch and deputy director of the Shanxi branch of Xinhua News Agency, is suspected of serious “violations of discipline and law” and is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervision investigation.
Public records show that Wang Zhenwang has served as a reporter for Xinhua News Agency, as well as the office director, and later became the deputy director.
According to reports from mainland Chinese media, on November 9, over a month before being investigated, Wang Zhenwang conducted research at Taiyuan University of Technology.
“Why would a media organization go to a university for research?” questioned an article by the Netease account “Xiao Fei Says”. It mentioned that apart from supervision tasks, media organizations also play a role in publicity. In the field of education, how to promote effectively has become a new area of media research, suggesting the need for innovative approaches.
The article pointed out, “In addition to normal news reporting, Xinhua News Agency reporters are also responsible for writing internal references. While reports may not always reach the top, internal references can. Such a crucial position has now been compromised by serious violations of discipline and law, deviating significantly from their original purpose.”
Speaking of deviations in Xinhua News Agency’s coverage this year, it is necessary to mention the ten-thousand-word featured article titled “Reformer Xi Jinping” published by Xinhua News Agency on the first day of the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th Third Plenum on July 14. Shortly after its publication, the article was completely removed from the Chinese internet and only remained on the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po website.
The special feature described Xi Jinping’s era as a “new era of reform” and emphasized the current critical period for accelerating a new round of reforms. Xi Jinping was portrayed as another “outstanding reformer” following Deng Xiaoping, inheriting and promoting Deng Xiaoping’s work to continue China’s economic miracle and create a so-called “new form of human civilization”.
Political commentator Tang Jingyuan, currently living in the United States, stated to a reporter that the Chinese Communist Party is currently facing a serious economic crisis. Many at home and abroad are hoping Xi Jinping will introduce some economic policies through the Third Plenum to restore the economic model to Deng Xiaoping’s “reform and opening-up” path. However, Xi Jinping does not favor Deng Xiaoping’s path. He delayed the Third Plenum for nearly a year because he did not want any changes to his previous policies, directions, and path, as he believed that Deng Xiaoping’s path would lead to the demise of the Communist Party and weaken his personal power base.
Tang Jingyuan believes that the withdrawal of the special feature by Xinhua News Agency reflects the public struggle between Deng Xiaoping’s path and Xi Jinping’s path. He argues that Xi Jinping’s goal is not to continue Deng Xiaoping’s “reform and opening-up” policy but to completely diverge from Deng Xiaoping’s path. Therefore, in this context, the article from the Xinhua News Agency was essentially a form of “covert criticism” towards Xi Jinping, thus leading to its removal.
For further reading:
Third Plenum Communique Lacks Innovation, Xinhua News Agency’s Biased Praise of Xi Jinping Suddenly Taken Down