On 7/15, the first day of the Third Plenary Session of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) 20th Party Congress, Xinhua News Agency released a special feature titled “Reformer Xi Jinping.” Many media outlets highlighted this title in their coverage, noting that it was the first time the official media referred to Xi Jinping as “reformer (改革家).” The nearly 10,000-word article praises Xi’s commitment to reform, likening him to Deng Xiaoping, who is known as the chief architect of China’s reform and opening-up. It claims that Xi will “lead the entire party and nation on a new journey of further comprehensive deepening of reforms.”
However, starting on the 7/16 (the day after publication), this lengthy “Reformer” article was no longer available on the Xinhua website. Other media linking to or quoting the “Reformer” article have been changed to refer to another article instead. Meanwhile, Ta Kung Pao, a CCP-affiliated media outlet operating in Hong Kong, still has its front-page report on the “Reformer” article.
China observers pointed out that for Xinhua to publish such a lengthy feature, it must have been under the instructions of the General Office of the CCP’s Central Committee; and the designation of “reformer” was clearly meant to position Xi Jinping in a specific light. Now that the article is unavailable, it can only be said that it has been deleted. The reason for the deletion is unclear.
At the same time, there are rumors spreading online that Xi Jinping suffered a stroke during the Third Plenary Session meeting.
Sources:
1. Radio France International, July 17, 2024
https://www.rfi.fr/cn/中国/20240717-官媒捧文-改革家习近平-突下架-有评论忧三中全会出状况
2. Wenxue City, July 16, 2024
https://app.xinhuanet.com/news/article.html?articleId=d1b63946dc0ec93f9132f654cf97be27