Government/Politics - 131. page

Beijing Daily published an article suggesting that an article published in 2015 on the website of the Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) used a historical figure to refer to someone who is a corrupt high-ranking official today.

The two-year old article was “Problems with the Lifestyle of the Qing Dynasty’s ‘Naked Official’ Prince Qing.” It was published on the CCDI website on February 25, 2015. While the article criticized a corrupt official from the Qing Dynasty, it created a lot of discussion and many people surmised that it referred to some current or retired official in the present day. Caixin even mentioned the name of Zeng Qinghong, a former high-rank official and the right man of ex-Communist Party chief Jiang Zemin.

The newer article that Beijing Daily published discussed the 2015 article’s author Xi Hua (习骅). Xi is a high-ranking CCDI official, serving as the Deputy Chief of the Discipline Inspection Team at the State Auditing Administration. Xi is a famous writer at the CCDI and has published over 30 anti-corruption related articles on the CCDI website.

“Among those articles, the one that other media republished the most was, ‘Problems with the Lifestyle of the Qing Dynasty’s “Naked Official” Prince Qing.’”

“This is how Xi Hua sees his writing, ’On the surface I was telling a story, but actually I was commenting on current affairs.’ As more and more people read Xi’s articles, they are continually trying to find out which official (in today’s world) Xi was referring to in his writing. Regarding this situation, Xi said, ‘It shows that people are thinking. This was my original goal when I wrote (those stories).”

Beijing Daily’s article was published under its WeChat account Changan Street Zhishi (长安街知事).  Changan Street Zhishi has focused on reporting current political affairs and has written many political observation articles.

Sources

1. Sina, July 22, 2017
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/nd/2017-07-22/doc-ifyihmmm8070290.shtml
2. Chinascope
http://chinascope.org/archives/3475

Caixin: Who Is the “Big Tiger” That the CCDI Talked About?

3. CCDI Website, February 25, 2015
http://www.ccdi.gov.cn/yw/201502/t20150215_51495.html

According to a blog published on the People’s Daily website, on July 26 and 27, Xi Jinping held a seminar in Beijing. The purpose was understood to be to “unify the understanding among party members” and could be the most important meeting prior to the 19th National Congress. The article listed several differences between this seminar and the ones held in previous years. First, the seminar location was changed from the Party School to the Jing Xi Hotel {Editor’s note: the Jing Xi Hotel is located near the Military Museum and Defense Ministry and run by the General Staff Department of the People’s Liberation Army. The hotel is heavily guarded and closed to foreigners}. Second, the participant’s ranks were unprecedented. The participants included seven members of the Political Standing Committee, including Xi Jinping, key members from the provincial levels of government, top leaders from central and government agencies, the military, the People’s Congress, and the judiciary system. Third, there was no paper and there were no pens on the table. The blog also brought up a commentary article that Xinhua published on July 29, titled “Gain Confidence in the Historical Moment – Study and Carry out Key Points from Xi’s Speech Given at a Provincial Level Seminar. Part II.” The blog noted that “being aware of the challenges” and “establishing confidence in the party’s success in this historic moment” were the highlights of Xi’s speech. It quoted from the commentary which stated that “the world is undergoing a dramatic change while China is facing serious challenges. … How do we deal with the complexity of the world and gain control on the international stage? How can we seize the opportunity and break through the conflicts and risks as China is entering a critical development stage? How can the party overcome the tests and risks and continue to be the leading party of the country? … These are the important questions that the party members are responsible for answering.”

Source: People’s Daily, July 29, 2017
http://blog.people.com.cn/article/1501295471040.html

According to an article that Duowei published on July 16, Wang Zuoan, the Director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, published an article on Qiushi which stated that a religious belief is an “untouchable red line” for party members. In the article, Wang requested that party members must be atheists, believe in Marxism, and are not allowed to believe in a religion. Wang stated that, if anyone has embraced a religion, he must give it up or he will face consequences. The Duowei article stated that this topic has been mentioned on a number of occasions in past years, but during the “Two Sessions or Lianghui” held in March of 2017, religion was discovered to have ranked among the most discussed online topics in 2016 and a media focal point in 2017. The topic of “religion” was ranked 5th following education, children, real estate, and health.

Source: Duowei News, July 19, 2017
http://china.dwnews.com/news/2017-07-19/59826152.html

Several media reported that the Research on Party Building magazine, a monthly publication on Communist theory, published an article in its July edition on “Xi Jinping Thought.”

The article stated that, since the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, General Secretary of the Party, Xi Jinping, “made a series of speeches on economic reform; development; stability; domestic policies; diplomacy; defense; the management of the Party, state, and the military, and formed a series of new concepts, new thoughts, and new strategies to manage the country. He has thus further enriched the Party’s scientific theories.”

“The innovative theories since the Party’s 18th National Congress, which can be called Xi Jinping Thoughts, are the new result of localizing Marxism in China and developing the Socialist Theory with Chinese Characteristics.”

The Chinese Communist terminology has identified “Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, and Deng Xiaoping Theory.” Party leaders Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao who were the top rulers between Deng Xiaoping and Xi Jinping, had some terms used under their names, but not this significant.

However, it seems that now, this article is no longer searchable.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, July 17, 2017
http://prd.zaobao.com/news/china/story20170717-779571

Recently Chinese media have given Xi Jinping several new titles.

A Xinhua article called him “the Supreme Commander of the people’s army” (人民军队最高统帅). “As the core of the Party’s Central Committee, the core of the whole Party, and the Supreme Commander of the people’s army, Xi Jinping …”

A China Central Television’s (CCTV’s) program called Xi Jinping “the Country’s Highest Leader” (国家最高领袖). The first episode of CCTV’s political commentary program “Continuing Reform to the End” stated, “Right before the Chinese New Year of 2017, people again felt the deep and warm care from the country’s Highest Leader.”

Radio France International also reported that some think tankers in China called Xi “the Chief Architect” (总设计师). This term was widely used to praise Deng Xiaoping as the “Chief Architect” of reform and opening up. Those think tankers called Xi “the third politician that qualifies as the Chief Architect (after Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping)” and “the Chief Architect that has made the historic leap in localizing Marxism in China.”

Sources:

1. Xinhua, July 10, 2017
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2017-07/10/c_1121295961.htm
2. Xinhua, July 17, 2017
http://news.xinhuanet.com/video/2017-07/17/c_129657476.htm
3. Radio France International, July 20, 2017
http://cn.rfi.fr/中国/20170720-中共19大前的习近平崇拜

On July 10, 2017, Xinhua published an article on Qigong (气功) exercises. Qigong is a system of gentle exercises composed of body postures and movements, breathing, and meditation. It is rooted in Chinese medicine, philosophy, martial arts, and even Buddhist or Taoist cultivation theories. People practice, or cultivate it for health, spirituality, or martial arts training.

Qigong was quite popular in China in the 1980s and 1990s. However, in 1999, the Communist Party banned Falun Gong, a mind body Qigong exercise with deep roots in the Buddhist school. Jiang Zemin, then Communist Party head, wanted the Communist ideology to win over “superstition,” which he felt was a threat to the Communist Party. Since then the Qigong environment has chilled in China.

This Xinhua article may be a hint of the government’s shift in its position on Qigong. The article reported that Qigong has been included as a sports event in the National Games that were hosted in Tianjin in July of this year. It also commented, “Qigong is a traditional sports game in China. It is not a religious superstition nor a form of mysterious arts, but rather a means for people to pursue harmony of mind and body.”

Source: Xinhua, July 10, 2017
http://sports.xinhuanet.com/c/2017-07/10/c_1121290514.htm

According to a blog that the Duowei website published, based on the latest personnel and media development, Wang Qishan will most likely stay within the party’s seven-member Politburo Standing Committee after the upcoming 19th National Congress. Wang is the Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and Xi Jinping’s right-hand man. He has been leading the anti-corruption campaign within the party since the 18th National Congress and assisted Xi to eliminate and replace the old faction within the party, the military, as well as at the municipal levels. The article listed two personnel changes that took place in the past week: Wang Shanyun, the party secretary of Gansu Province and Sun Zhengcai, the party secretary of the City of Chongqing were removed from their posts. Meanwhile Wang Qishan wrote two articles, a clear indication of Wang’s likelihood to be re-appointed to the Standing Committee: on July 17. Wang published a “bombshell” article in People’s Daily and stated that the inspection work shall continue following the 19th National Congress and to play its role as a “Sharp Sword” (in combating corruption); on June 5, Wang published a headline article on the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection which stated that the anti-corruption campaign is still facing “serious and complicated” challenges and vowed to “strengthen the effort and fight the battle to achieve overwhelming victory.” The article stated that another possibility for Wang to remain in power is that Wang could be appointed to be in charge of the Supervision Committee, an extension of Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. According to the article, on November 7, 2016, three regions including Beijing, Shanxi and Zhejiang were selected to participate in the Supervision system reform. Speculation indicated that Wang would be the perfect fit to lead that role if the supervision reform was to be carried out nationwide.

Sources:
1. Duowei News, July 18, 2017
http://blog.dwnews.com/post-962463.html
2. Wang Qishan’s article in reference
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2017-07/17/nw.D110000renmrb_20170717_1-02.htm

Duowei reported that Chinese political star Sun Zhengcai’s “bizarre disappearance” caused quite a stir in Chongqing’s officialdom. Since July 15, when Chen Miner took office in Chongqing, the municipal committee has held 11 important meetings.

On July 19, Chongqing Daily reported nine of those important meetings.

On July 15, the CPC Organization Minister Zhao Leji announced that the former Guizhou Provincial Party Secretary Chen Miner replaced Sun Zhengcai as secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee. Chen Miner said at the meeting that (the new leadership) will resolutely support Xi Jinping’s core position, “have a firm political stance, and adherence to political discipline.”

On July 17 and 18, Chongqing held 10 meetings. Those present at the meetings, repeatedly brought up the issue of eliminating the lingering toxic influences from the (sacked) Bo Xilai, (the former head of Chongqing) and Wang (Lijun), as well as the issue of the reinspection report from the Central Leading Group for Inspection Work.

The inspection group pointed out that the problems in the official circles in Chongqing included “weakening of the party’s leadership, the promotion of cadres with problems,” and other related issues. It also specifically singled out the problem that the remaining impact of “Bo and Wang” has not been completely removed.

Source: Duowei, July 19, 2017
http://china.dwnews.com/news/2017-07-19/59826245.html