On April 19, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Commission on Disciplinary Inspection (CCDI) announced that it was investigating Sun Lijun (孙力军), Deputy Minister of Public Security, who “has severely violated the party’s discipline and the law.”
It was surprising to many people as Sun was known as a powerful official who had been involved in many arrests of dissidents and who was sent to Wuhan to oversee the police during the coronavirus outbreak. The following are discussions from Chinese media about his downfall.
#1: Sun Is Not Loyal to Xi Jinping
Zhao Kejian, Minister of Public Security held an emergency meeting on April 19, stating “resolutely support the investigation of Sun Lijun.” Zhao said, “Sun Lijun has long been ignoring the party’s political discipline and political rules, violating the discipline, violating the rules, disrespecting (the leader), and doing things on his own will.” This suggests that Sun is not loyal enough to Xi Jinping. (Radio France International)
#2: Sun’s Position Is Too Critical for Political Infighting
Sun is in charge of the No 1 Bureau and No 26 Bureau in the Ministry of Public Security. The No 1 Bureau is the Political Security Bureau, responsible for intelligence gathering, including the control of religion, anti-subversion, and overseas resources (pro-China organizations, spies, etc.). Sun is also the Director of the Public Security Ministry’s Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Affairs Office. Xi Jinping’s cronies in Hong Kong were not able to direct the ministry’s spies in Hong Kong since they took directions from Sun.
Sun was in such a critical position that his support could determine if a political coup would succeed. Sun was in the camp of former CCP head Jiang Zemin and was against Xi. Sun’s downfall means that Xi has the recent political infighting under control. (Epoch Times)
#3: Sun Was Sent to Wuhan So That Wang Xiaohong Could Take over His Work
An insider pointed out that the taking down of Sun Lijun was well planned out. Sun was sent to Wuhan to oversee the police there during the coronavirus outbreak, to get him out of Beijing. Then Xi Jinping appointed his follower Wang Xiaohong to be the Party Secretary and Director of the Special Service Bureau, Ministry of Public Security, to take over the work from Sun.
There was also a guess that Sun might have leaked secrets about Xi’s visit to Wuhan, such as Xi’s snipers aimed at Wuhan police officers as they were afraid that Wuhan police might attempt to assassinate Xi. (Radio Free Asia)
#4: Sun Has Been Involved in Many Arrests
Xi has long been managing secret works of the Public Security Ministry. He was the Deputy Director of the “610 Office,” which was in charge of persecuting Falun Gong. He also directed the execution of arrests and the interrogation of political dissidents. Guo Wengui, a Chinese real estate billionaire who fled to the U.S. and became a political activist against the CCP, stated that Sun came to the U.S. in May 2017 to try to persuade him to return to China, but he rejected Sun’s suggestion. Sun was also said to be behind the arrest of the owner and the staff of Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay Books (a book store that published books revealing shady information about the CCP’s top leaders) and the massive arrests of human rights attorneys on July 9, 2015. (Radio Free Asia)
#5: Sun Has Damaged Xi Jinping’s Image
A political commentator said that Sun’s arrests of political dissidents had damaged the CCP’s image and made Xi Jinping look bad. Sun also ordered other people to do things, claiming that he received orders from Xi Jinping’s Office or Peng Liyuan’s Office (Peng is Xi’s wife). (Radio France International)
Related postings on Chinascope:
- Leadership: Xi Warned to Prepare for Changes in the External Environment
- Leadership: Is Xi Jinping in Trouble in the CCP Internal Fight?
- Leadership: Xi Jinping Gave Instructions When Visiting Zhejiang Province
- Leadership: Li Keqiang Warned the Coronavirus Risk in China and Asked to Manage the Asymptomatic Carriers
- Leadership: Li Keqiang Asked Officials Not to Hide Data and Prepare for a Long-Lasting Work
1. Excerpt in Chinese:
公安部长赵克坚4月19日迅速召开会议，“坚决拥护对孙力军审查调查”，会上说，“孙力军长期以来无视党的政治纪律和政治规矩、不守纪律、不讲规矩、不知敬畏，肆意妄为。”罪名就这么笼统，用一句网民的话解读，其实就是说对习主席忠诚得还不太够，那为什么在公安部这么久，升到了副部长，都没被发觉呢，这又是一个谜。从公安部表忠心看，中共中央可能是怀疑孙力军忠诚度有限，甚至还在背后搞了什么“阴谋”？
Source: Radio France International, April 20, 2020
http://www.rfi.fr/cn/中国/20200419-中国公安部副部孙力军突落马-有点荒诞
2. Excerpt in Chinese:
知情人士表示，孙力军的职位相当于之前汪东兴的位置，可以决定“政变”哪一边赢。孙力军既是江派又是倒习势力人马，他的落马“是习近平要解除对他本人的威胁”。“这个局如果出问题，对习的威胁太大，这种威胁大到可以让他性命不保。”近期传出政变风声，孙力军被拿下，意味现在习近平控制了局面。
知情人士表示，一局和二十六局都是公安部的“政治保卫局”。“政治保卫局”的权力比国安的权力还大，中共公安系统负责的搜集情报，民族宗教、反颠覆破坏、境外组织都属于它管。境外的亲共组织、特务、间谍也都属于它管，由它来培训、管理。
他说，习近平的亲信、公安部常务副部长王小洪（公安部特勤局局长）最近任命特勤局人员，就是习在清理孙力军的班子。
官方资料显示，在此次落马前，孙力军还兼任公安部下属的港澳台事务办公室主任。
上述知情人士曝光中共国保局与香港的关系：“国保局的人去香港，在海关，根本不用经过边检，开着车就直接过去了”。港澳事务也属于这个局管，而且香港边检人员也安插了这个局的人。习近平的亲信新派到香港，但听说调动不了，香港的国保、特务还是听孙力军的。
Source: Epoch Times, April 20, 2020
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/20/4/20/n12045614.htm
3. Excerpt in Chinese:
吹哨人收到風指出，這次調查孫力軍，本身就是一項經過精心策劃的行動。3月27日，習大大派出其福建舊部、國安委辦公室主任王小洪出任特勤局黨委書記、局長，其實就是為了取代孫的職能。為此，中央還特地使出調虎離山之計，將孫力軍支開到武漢，目的是便於王接管孫的工作。
也有體制中人估計，孫力軍被整，是因為泄露了「一尊」上武漢前線的機密；例如習大大害怕武漢公安刺殺，其狙擊手瞄準當地公安等。
Source: Radio Free Asia, April 22, 2020
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/ear/ear-sun-04222020065038.html
4. Excerpt in Chinese:
孙力军长期执行公安秘密任务，曾分管公安部港澳台事务，参与过镇压法轮功、香港铜锣湾书店抓捕及709大抓捕。此次被查的消息，震撼中国公安系统。
孙力军曾经是中共中央政法委前书记孟建柱秘书，因其工作勤奋、性格活跃，深得上司赏识。
孙曾任上海市政府外事办公室副主任、公安部办公厅副主任、公安部一局、二十六局局长、中共中央610办公室副主任、公安部港澳台事务办公室主任。
流亡美国的富商郭文贵曾多次披露，2017年5月，孙力军赴美劝说他回国，但被拒绝。
一位法律界人士董先生对本台说，孙力军曾参与香港铜锣湾书店抓捕行动、参与709大抓捕等：“孙力军做了很多的坏事。除了对法轮功的打压，他主要主持对民间人士的打压，包括709大抓捕。他是公安部具体组织实施抓捕，并且指挥审讯的人，包括使用酷刑。实际上孙被抓跟他做坏事没有关系，从公安部长讲话看是不够忠心，玩两面派。”
Source: Radio Free Asia, April 20, 2020
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/zhengzhi/ql1-04202020060444.html
5. Excerpt in Chinese:
该报道称，据明镜新闻集团创办人、中共问题专家何频对《苹果》表示，此案对习政权的意义绝不亚于薄熙来案、令计划案和周永康案等。他指，孙掌控公安部一局（国内保卫局）期间，亲自操办如肖建华案、铜锣湾书店案、709案等大案，重创中共形象，催生了香港的反送中运动，同时也让习揹黑锅。
据何频透露，孙力军由上海市卫生系统小官，攀上当时上海市委副书记孟建柱，在孟不敌前上海市委书记陈良宇等实力派，2001年被外放江西时，孟妻由孙照应。2007年孟建柱回京任公安部部长，将孙力军调到身边，先后任公安部办公厅副主任、大秘、公安26局（反邪教局，后拼入中央610办）局长、公安部港澳台办主任等职。至2012年中共十八大孟建柱进入中共政治局后，便让孙出掌国保局，成为公安部最具实权人物。
苹果日报指何频引述消息，其时孙力军仅为一个局长，但经常打着“习办”、“彭办”（即习夫人彭丽媛）旗号，甚至以习近平名义绕过部长下指令，“挟天子令诸侯”。这就是公安部19日晚紧急召开党委会议，痛斥孙力军“把自己凌驾于组织之上，妄自尊大、我行我素，搞一个人说了算，把分管领域搞成个人自留地”等罪状之源由。
Source: Radio France International, April 20, 2020
http://www.rfi.fr/cn/中国/20200420-孙力军案不简单-传或涉肖建华铜锣湾709多案让习近平背黑锅