Government/Politics - 202. page

On August 5, 2014, Radio Free Asia published an article titled, “Some Kind of Coup May Have Taken Place in China.” The article analyzed [what it identified as] the current abnormal situation in China, including the following. First, on-going unprecedented large scale military exercises are taking place from July to September (a portion of the exercises will continue until November). Second, a secret meeting was held at the end of July between the former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and China’s current top leader Xi Jinping in Beijing in an effort to improve Sino-Japanese relations. Third, on July 29, a public announcement was made of the investigation of the former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang. Fourth, on July 30, the Central Discipline Inspection Commission of the Chinese Communist Party sent a large investigation team to Shanghai; the team will be stationed in Shanghai until September (the same period of time that the large scale military exercises are taking place). Fifth, Shanghai Bright Food Group Chairman Wang Zong-nan, who has a close relationship with China’s former top leader Jiang Zemin, was taken away for investigation several days ago. Sixth, a large number of civilian flights were canceled in July, especially flights between Beijing and Shanghai. Seventh, in July security checks were enhanced in subways and other transportation areas in Beijing (trash cans have to be emptied every 15 minutes). Eighth, People’s Daily published a commentary article titled, "The Takedown of the Big Tiger Zhou Yongkang Does Not Mean the Anti-Corruption Campaign Has Stopped," which was then removed from its website. Finally, China’s former top leader Jiang Zemin’s inscriptions and signatures are being removed from public places, with online photos being published as evidence of the removal.

All of the above incidents indicate that some kind of coup is taking place between Beijing and Shanghai. The article concluded that the anti-Xi forces may have started the coup but failed when Xi’s forces fought back or that the Xi Jinping group launched a coup to eliminate the Jiang Zemin’s faction.

Source: Radio Free Asia, August 5, 2014
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/pinglun/chenpokong/js-08052014120319.html

Xi Jinping recently made a statement that he is willing to fight corruption even at the cost of his personal life or personal fame. In its August 4th edition, Changbaishan Daily, a local newspaper in Changbaishan City, Jilin Province, made Xi’s statement its headline article.

Xi’s original statement, which was reported to have been given at the new round of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection’s local inspection tour, was "[We should] fight corruption. [Our] personal lives or deaths and our personal reputations or blame do not matter. Since the Party and the nation have given their future and their fate to us, we need to shoulder this responsibility."

Xi’s speech also mentioned that, currently, the battle between the corruption group and the anti-corruption group has reached a "stalemate." Wang Qishan stated that the anti-corruption situation is "still severe and complicated." He also stressed that the battle is a critical political issue in which officials need to decide which side to take.

Several media in China republished the article. However, in the U.S., as of the morning of August 5, they were no longer available. Searching Xi’s Chinese words "与腐败作斗争，个人生死，个人毁誉，无所谓" on Google resulted in several broken links. The article is no longer viewable on the Changbaishan Daily website either.

Source: Unavailable on web. Chinascope has a copy of the republished article from one website.
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/zhengzhi/sd-08052014132939.html

The day after Xinhua announced the downfall of Zhou Yongkang, it published a blog commentary entitled “What Does the Investigation of Zhou Yongkang Tell Us?” 

The People’s Daily website published a series of pictures with texts under each of them titled, “Charts: The Mysterious Petroleum Billionaire behind Zhou Yongkang.” 

Within days after July 29, when the announcement was made that an investigation had been instigated against Zhou Yongkang, several inspection teams of the Central Committee of the Communist Party were on their way to conduct investigations in Hebei, Shanghai, Helongjiang, and at the Chinese state-owned automotive, the First Automobile Works Group located in Changchun, Jilin Province. 

Zeng Qinghong is a retired member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China, China’s highest leadership council. Between 2002 and 2007, he was a top-ranking member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee. From 2003 to 2008, he also served as the Vice-President of the People’s Republic of China. He is a close ally of then-general secretary Jiang Zemin. Since the fall of security tsar Zhou Yongkang, rumors about Zeng have been surfacing.

On Aug. 1, 2013, a wealthy Sichuan businessman Wu Bing (吴兵), who had close business ties with Zhou Yongkang’s son Zhou Bin, was put in official custody. Wu Bing owned Zhongxu Holding Co., Ltd. (中旭投资公司), which holds shares of stock in Fantasia Chengdu (花样年成都), a corporate subsidiary of Fantasia Holding Group Co., Ltd. (花样年控股), which was founded by Zeng Baobao, Zeng Qinghong’s niece. According to its website, "Founded in 1998, Fantasia was successfully listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in November 2009 under the stock code ‘1777.’ Its assets amounted to over RMB30 billion (US$4.86 billion)." In the early years, Fantasia Chengdu also worked with Zhongxu to create a Sichuan based joint venture. Sources in mainland China told Apple Daily that the authorities took Zeng Baobao away months ago to assist in the investigation of Zhou.

Because of the close relationship between Zeng and Zhou’s family, as early as May this year, there was speculation that Zeng Qinghong will be the next tiger that Xi Jinping will take down. Zeng Qinghong’s latest public appearance was on May 14 of this year. He visited an art museum in Shanghai, accompanied by Shanghai’s head of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee, Han Zheng.

Source: Apple Daily, July 31, 2014
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/first/20140731/18817574

People’s Daily published an article that explained “The Great Struggles in the New Era.” The author, Han Qingxiang, is Deputy Superintendent of Education and Professor of the Central Party School. The article stated, “Our [Communist] Party’s task is that ‘[we] must prepare for great struggles with many new historical features.’ This is based on the scientific judgment of a series of major challenges, trials, and dangers that our Party faces at this stage.”