There has been some unconfirmed information that Xi might have lost out to some extent in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) infighting.
Liberty Times, a Taiwan media, reported that Kyle Bass, a well-known U.S. hedge fund manager and a current member of the Committee on the Present Danger: China, posted on his Twitter account on April 11:
“Secretary xi is in trouble within China. According to my sources within, the party elite want xi gone. The Guangdong elite (Uncle Deng’s family) are beginning to rattle the cages of change against the supposed “emperor for life”.”
New Highland Vision, a media based in New York, published on its Twitter account:
“Since last Friday (April 9), special protection has been provided to the families of the main princelings and the former CCP Politburo members. X (Xi) is in a bad state. The current situation is: Hu (Jintao) proposed a compromise plan, not removing X, but let Li (Keqiang) and Wang (Qishan) be in charge, and let X take a backseat to rest and study. Most of the retired leaders, including Jiang (Zemin), Zeng (Qinghong), and Wen (Jiabao) expressed their approval. At present, the two sides are coordinating. X has no way out and there has also been strange move of the military, too. Note: Please do not ask for the source; for reference only.”
{CS Editor’s Comments: In the past few months, there have been signs of the CCP’s infighting:
- Zhou Xianwang, the Wuhan Mayor, said in multiple places that he “was not authorized” to take action to contain the coronavirus in the early days, while Xi Jinping claimed that he had been in charge of the virus containment work (See Chinascope’s postings: Leadership: Wuhan Mayor Not “Authorized” to Release Epidemic Information to the Public Before and Leadership: Wuhan Municipal Website Defended Its Mayor) and he was appraised by the Head of the National Health Commission (See Chinascope’s posting: Leadership: A Political Controversy: Head of National Health Commission Praised Wuhan Mayor).
- Ren Zhiqiang, a princeling and a real estate tycoon, called Xi Jinping a “clown” in his article “A Clown Who Stripped Naked and Insisted on Continuing to Be an Emperor” (See Chinascope posting: Leadership: Ren Zhiqiang’s Article: “A Clown Who Stripped Naked and Insisted on Continuing to Be an Emperor”).
- Chen Ping, a princeling and the founder of Sun TV who lives in Hong Kong, re-posted an article calling for an “Emergency Enlarged Meeting of the CCP’s Politburo” to discuss whether Xi is suitable for the leadership position (See Chinascope’s posting: Leadership: The Widespread of a WeChat Posting Calling for Politburo Meeting to Remove Xi Jinping).}
1. Twitter: Kyle Bass on April 11, 2020
Secretary xi is in trouble within China. According to my sources within, the party elite want xi gone. The Guangdong elite (Uncle Deng’s family) are beginning to rattle the cages of change against the supposed “emperor for life”. #XiJinping #china #ChinaLiedAndPeopleDied
— 😷Kyle Bass😷 (@Jkylebass) April 11, 2020
2. Excerpt in Chinese:
歐美多國官員及專家近來頻頻指責中國「隱匿疫情」，導致武漢肺炎疫情蔓延全球，先前宣稱「親自指揮」防疫的中國國家主席習近平更成為眾矢之的，甚至體制內也出現「檢討習近平」的聲音。美國知名避險基金大亨巴斯（Kyle Bass）12日在推特上語出驚人，聲稱根據內部情報，中共黨內菁英想讓習近平「走人」，鄧小平家族勢力正策劃反對習近平成為「終身皇帝」的變革。
海曼資本創辦人巴斯12日在推特上爆料：「習總書記在中國有麻煩了。根據我的內部消息，黨內菁英想讓習近平走人，廣東的菁英（鄧大叔的家族）正在開始策動變革，反對所謂的『終身皇帝』。」不過巴斯並未透露具體細節。
巴斯因成功預測2008年美國次貸危機而聞名，他長期對中國持強硬立場，曾在1月表示中國不太可能遵守與美國的貿易協議，2月時更與中國官媒《環球時報》總編輯胡錫進在推特上爆發筆戰。巴斯目前是華府智庫「應對中國當前危險委員會」（Committee on the Present Danger: China, CPDC）的成員。
Source: Liberty Times, April 12, 2020
https://ec.ltn.com.tw/article/breakingnews/3131252
3. Excerpt in Chinese:
海风：据可靠消息：从上周五开始，已将主要二代和前任委员以上的家作了特殊保护。但X已相当被动。目前的状况是：胡提出了一个折中方案，不动X，让李王主持工作，X退居二线休息和学习，江曾温等大部分老同志都表示认可。目前双方正在协调，X已无退路，军方也出现异动。注：内部消息莫问出处，仅供参考。
Source: Twitter, New Highland Vision official account
海风：据可靠消息：从上周五开始，已将主要二代和前任委员以上的家作了特殊保护。但X已相当被动。目前的状况是：胡提出了一个折中方案，不动X，让李王主持工作，X退居二线休息和学习，江曾温等大部分老同志都表示认可。目前双方正在协调，X已无退路，军方也出现异动。注：内部消息莫问出处，仅供参考。 pic.twitter.com/rw0JFMgBO5
— 新高地官推 官网：https://www.newhighlandvision.com/ (@5xyxh) April 12, 2020