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Unusual Appearance of Hu Jintao’s Son at Financial Event Sparks Political Speculation

Political analysts pointed out the appearance of Hu Haifeng, the son of former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Hu Jintao, at a recent high-profile event. Analysts view this as another indication that Xi Jinping has lost power. They argued: If Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao do not have power currently, why would Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining invite Hu Haifeng to appear so publicly at an important event? Thus, they take Hu Haifeng’s appearance as evidence that Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao do hold power behind the scenes.

The event, held on June 18, 2025, was an unveiling ceremony for the China Capital Market Society at the opening ceremony of the 2025 Lujiazui Forum, put on by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the Shanghai Municipal Government. A plaque was jointly unveiled by Chen Jining, Shanghai Party Secretary; Wang Jiang, Executive Deputy Director of the Chinese Central Financial Office; Wu Qing, Chairman of the CSRC; Gong Zheng, Mayor of Shanghai; and Hu Haifeng, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The website of the CSRC posted a photo of the event.

Sources:
1. CSRS website, June 18, 2025
http://www.csrc.gov.cn/csrc/c100028/c7565142/content.shtml
2. Epoch Times, June 21, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/6/21/n14535800.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Huanqiu Editorial: In Dealing with China, the EU Should Show More Sincerity and Less Scheming

CCP mouthpiece Huanqiu Times recently published an editorial criticizing the European Union and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for embracing protectionist policies and damaging China-EU relations. Below are the key points from the editorial:

“On June 20, the EU’s European Commission announced that Chinese companies would be banned from participating in European government medical equipment procurements valued at over €5 million – a move widely seen as escalating trade tensions with China. In response, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that, while the EU often proclaims itself to be “the world’s most open market,” it is in fact steadily shifting toward protectionism. The Ministry emphasized that China will firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.

“This year marks the 50th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic relations, which should have been an opportunity to strengthen healthy and stable ties. Yet just as the relationship showed signs of positive adjustment, the EU has repeatedly sent negative signals. Trade restrictions on China have resurged, and senior EU officials have made critical remarks about China at international forums such as the Shangri-La Dialogue and the G7 Summit. Earlier reports also suggested that the EU has no intention of resuming trade talks with China.

“What is particularly striking is that, even though the Trump administration once threatened Europe with heavy tariffs, some Europeans now appear to be following Washington’s lead in trade policy. This is both puzzling and short-sighted. Some mistakenly believe that, under U.S. trade war pressure, China “needs” Europe and will make unilateral concessions if sufficiently pressured. If they are self-congratulatory, thinking they have mastered the so-called “art of the deal,” they are gravely misjudging both China and themselves.

“Each time China-EU relations show signs of improvement, irrational disruptions seem to arise. For example, at the recent G7 Summit, President Von der Leyen claimed that the world is experiencing a new “China shock” and even held up a magnet to accuse China of “weaponizing” its rare earth dominance. In reality, this was akin to waving a white flag to U.S. tariff threats, attempting to shift pressure onto China in hopes of winning favor from Washington. Such tactics were disingenuous and, ironically, went largely ignored by the U.S. during the summit – Von der Leyen’s performance received little attention.

“Attempting to gain trade advantages or offset losses through protectionism or pressure tactics is both unrealistic and undignified. The EU cannot continue to press its own demands while disregarding China’s legitimate concerns.”

Source: Huanqiu Times, June 20, 2025
https://m.huanqiu.com/article/4NAsIkKBTnz

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

4 Billion Records Leaked from Centralized Chinese Data Hub, Including Data on Taiwan

According to Cybernews, a Chinese database containing up to 4 billion records and totaling 631GB was exposed in a data leak on May 19. This database was meticulously collected and maintained, with files reportedly covering behavioral, economic, and social activities of Chinese citizens, including WeChat messages and Alipay data. This strongly suggests the data is likely to be from a centralized data aggregation point, possibly used for surveillance, analysis, or data collection purposes.

The Cybernews reviewed 16 leaked data sets:

  • The largest was named “wechatid_db,” containing over 805 million records, likely to be WeChat user data.
  • The second-largest dataset, “address_db”, held more than 780 million records, including residential information with geolocation tags.
  • The third-largest dataset, “bank,” contained over 630 million financial records, with data such as payment card numbers, birthdates, names, and phone numbers.
  • A dataset, titled in Mandarin and roughly translated as “Three-Factor Verification,” included more than 610 million records, likely involving IDs, phone numbers, and usernames.
  • A dataset named “wechatinfo” held nearly 577 million records, possibly including WeChat communication logs or even user conversations.
  • A dataset “zfbkt_db” contained 300 million records, including Alipay card and token information.
  • More than 353 million records were distributed across nine other datasets, covering a wide range of topics such as gambling activity, vehicle registration, employment information, pensions, and insurance.
  • There is also a dataset named “tw_db,” with information related to Taiwan.

Source: Epoch Times, June 9, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/6/9/n14527844.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics Information/Technology

China Plans to Convert Auxiliary Police into Civil Servants to Strengthen Control of “Social Stability”

The Chinese public security system is planning to convert a portion of its auxiliary police officers (contractors who perform/assist police duties) into officially registered civil servants over the next two years. Several experts view this as a significant signal that the authorities are seeking to strengthen their state control system in response to potentially increasing social risks. However, they caution that it may ultimately lead to bureaucratic bloating and more government spending.

The Ministry of Public Security led the conversion effort and will implement it in phases, with the goal of completing the reclassification and partial conversion nationwide by 2027.

Data from the Ministry of Public Security showed that by the end of 2024, there were over 1.2 million auxiliary police officers in China, accounting for 46 percent of frontline police personnel. However, due to poor compensation, lax management, and low loyalty, they are increasingly unable to meet the Chinese Communist Party’s political priority of stability.

Public reports indicate that Shanghai completed the first pilot program to convert 5,000 auxiliary officers in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Earlier this year, China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security officially included “auxiliary police” in the national occupational classification catalog, categorizing them as “security and fire protection support personnel.” The Ministry of Public Security classified the auxiliary officers into four categories: administrative support, law enforcement support, technical police work, and special positions. The ministry also introduced job-based salary structures and performance evaluations to improve standardization and management.

Source: Epoch Times, June 3, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/6/3/n14523333.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Government/Politics Social Stability

CCP Control Over the Chinese Communist Young Pioneers

The 9th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Young Pioneers opened in Beijing from May 27 to 29. This congress is held every five years.

According to People’s Daily, as of December 31, 2024, there are 113 million Communist Young Pioneers nationwide, with 3 million team counselors at the primary and secondary school levels, and 176,000 school-level Young Pioneer Committees across China.

Communist Young Pioneer is an affiliated organization for Chinese Communist Party (CCP), whose members are children aged 6 to 14. Though it is said that joining the Young Pioneer is “at will,” most elementary schools just have all students join.

At the beginning of 2021, the CCP issued “Opinions of the CCP Central Committee on Comprehensively Strengthening the Work of the Young Pioneers in the New Era.” This document shaped a new working mechanism for the Young Pioneers: the organization is to be “led by the Party, supported by the government, with the Communist Youth League taking the lead, coordinated by the Communist Youth League and the education system, and supported by broader society.”

Sources:
1. People’s Daily, June 1, 2025
http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2025/0601/c1001-40491855.html
2. People’s Daily, May 25, 2025
http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2025/0525/c1001-40487248.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Xinhua: Mainland Delivers Two Heavy Blows Against “Taiwan Independence” Forces

Xinhua News Agency reports that on June 5, mainland China launched two major countermeasures targeting “Taiwan independence” separatist forces:

The first one was that the public security authorities issued a wanted notice for 20 major criminal suspects of Taiwan’s “Information and Electronic Warfare Command,” including Ning Enwei, offering rewards for their capture. It said that this organization has carried out cyberattacks and infiltration operations against mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao, stolen sensitive data and critical intelligence on a large scale, and collaborated with anti-China forces in the U.S. and the West to conduct public opinion and cognitive warfare against the mainland to incite “color revolutions.”

The second one was that mainland announced sanctions against Taiwan-based company Sicuens International Co Ltd, as a punishment for “hardline Taiwan independence” figure Shen Boyang. Beijing said Shen has been organizing and systematically engaging in separatist activities, aggressively promoting “Taiwan independence” ideology and anti-mainland sentiment, especially targeting Taiwanese youth. The sanction is against the company which Shen’s father, Shen Tucheng, serves as a key executive. The company has been involved in trade and business partnerships with some mainland companies.

The younger Shen is a legislator from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan and has now been sanctioned by Beijing for the third time within a year. Shen believes the sanctions are in response to his recent legislative efforts related to national security, including a bill requiring lawmakers to report visits to China and another imposing penalties for pro-unification activities. He is also a key advocate of Taiwan’s Great Recall (大罢免) campaign in Taiwan, a rising political movement in which citizens mobilize to recall underperforming or allegedly pro-Beijing members of parliament mainly from the Kuomintang party.

Sources:
1. Xinhua, June 6, 2025
http://www.xinhuanet.com/mrdx/20250606/0509b2d5300540ed9b51db7303d10dc3/c.html
2. Epoch Times,  June 6, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/6/6/n14526295.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

President Lukashenko’s Unannounced Visit to China and Meeting with Xi Jinping Raises Diplomatic and Political Questions

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko visited China from June 2 to 4, with the highlight of his trip being a meeting with Xi Jinping on June 4. Notably, the meeting was held in Zhongnanhai, the leadership compound of the Chinese Communist Party, rather than the traditional venue, the Great Hall of the People. During the meeting, Xi remarked, “My office is right next door. This is the first time I’ve received you here.”

According to the Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA), Belarusian First Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Snopkov emphasized the “special nature” of the visit, describing it as “neither a working visit nor an official state visit, but a special trip for a family-style friendly luncheon.”

Political analysts highlighted several anomalies surrounding the visit:

  • Although Belarus characterized the meeting as a “traditional friendly family gathering,” Lukashenko’s wife did not accompany him to China. Xi Jinping’s wife, Peng Liyuan, was also absent.
  • The visit appeared unannounced, with no prior notice issued by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • Upon Lukashenko’s arrival in Beijing on June 2, there was no coverage from Chinese state media, nor any indication of who received him at the airport.
  • No other members of the Politburo Standing Committee met with Lukashenko; his only public engagement was with representatives of the business community.

YouTuber and political commentator Da Yu offered his interpretation in a recent video, suggesting that Lukashenko’s sudden visit may be linked to Ukraine’s “Spider’s Web” drone attack on June 1, which reportedly destroyed or damaged many Russian warplanes, including nuclear-capable bombers. Russian President Vladimir Putin may have dispatched Lukashenko to Beijing to assess China’s position on the attack and gauge the extent of its willingness to support Russia in any retaliatory actions.

The visit has also reignited speculation over Xi Jinping’s political standing. Reports noted that Xi had not appeared in public between May 21 and June 3. While some argue that his meeting with Lukashenko on June 4 would dispel rumors of political instability, others view the event as a carefully staged appearance, suggesting that Xi may currently be restricted to Zhongnanhai.

Sources:
1. BelTA, June 5, 2025
https://chn.belta.by/president/view/-35724-2025/
2. Epoch Times, June 5, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/6/5/n14524823.htm
3. YouTube, June 5, 2025.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjS09ZrEx4o

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

Another Scholarly Article Criticizing the CCP and Xi Jinping

After two professors from the South China University of Technology allegedly called to end the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) rule, there is now another article circulating on the internet which was allegedly written by a Chinese scholar and calls for political reform and the end of the the CCP.

On May 13, the overseas Chinese-language media outlet Yibao published an article titled “Deadlock Without a Solution, a System Beyond Salvation,” authored under the name of Zhang Yingjie, an Associate Professor at Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management,

The article stated,

  • People laughed when the National Bureau of Statisticsannounced China’s 2024 GDP growth as “5 percent” (because they knew it was a fake number).
  • “There’s a scholar in the U.S. named Miles Yu (Yu Maochun), and his most famous saying is that the Chinese Communist regime should be distinguished from the Chinese people – a viewpoint that really makes sense.”
  • The CCP is best at “drawing big pies” (making empty promises). They also keep “flipping the pancakes” (referring to their endless policy reversals). This left the regime with zero credibility and no confidence from the public.
  • China has gone from consistent 10 percent annual GDP growth to now struggling to maintain even 5 percent. The root cause lies in a contradiction between the economic base and the political superstructure. The previous leadership saw this problem clearly. As former Premier Wen Jiabao put it, “Without the success of political reform, economic reform cannot be carried through to the end.”
  • The author’s solution to fix China’s problem is in line with what the vast majority of Chinese people hope for: Political System Reform!

Yibao’s editorial team later released a statement saying that they couldn’t verify the authenticity of the author, but felt the article was a strong piece. Thus, they decided to publish the article while removing the final sentence – “Xi Jinping and his Communist Party should step down as soon as possible!” – to protect the author’s safety. Then on May 14, they received an email signed by Zhang Yingjie, claiming that the article had falsely used her name and asked to remove it. After verifying that the message came from Professor Zhang’s own email address, Yibao retracted the article.

Sources:
1. Liberty Times, May 15, 2025
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/5042984
2. Yibao
https://yibaochina.com/?p=255794

Briefings | | |   @CS Government/Politics