An increasing number of ousted Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials are being accused of crimes such as “privately possessing and reading” banned political books or “improperly criticizing the central government.” In recent years, dozens of high-ranking officials have been reported for similar offenses.
The term “banned books” officially refers to “overseas publications with serious political issues.” According to political commentator Du Zheng in Up Media, such books typically include content about the Tiananmen Square massacre, the Hong Kong protests, persecuted ethnic minorities, and groups like Falun Gong. The term also pertains to exposés on the private lives of top CCP leaders, details of Chinese officials’ overseas assets, and internal power struggles within the Party. Notably, The Epoch Times‘ Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party is among the books banned by the CCP.
Some commentators have suggested that the frequency of official reports regarding CCP cadres being punished for reading “banned political books” indicates that the CCP officialdom is drifting away from the CCP party line and thus that the Party’s days may be numbered.
Source: Epoch Times, February 19, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/2/19/n14440808.htm