[China Observation]Clearing the internal strife | Xi Jinping | Clearing Route | Mao Zedong

[The Epoch Times, June 17, 2022](The Epoch Times reporters Ning Haizhong and Luo Ya reported) The Cyberspace Administration of the Communist Party of China (CPC) recently issued a comment defending Xi Jinping’s clearing line, moving out the rhetoric of former CCP leader Mao Zedong, saying that “dynamic clearing” “The epidemic prevention policy is the so-called “great benevolent government”, and it criticizes people with ulterior motives to smear and attack. The next day, Zhu Rongji’s confidant Lou Jiwei criticized the improper closure and control for damaging the economy. The recent dispute over Xi Jinping’s clearing line and Li Keqiang’s line to save the economy has become a hot spot of observation.

The Cyberspace Administration of China moved out Mao’s quotations to defend Xi’s clearing line for Lou Jiwei’s “rebellion”?

The Cyberspace Administration of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China published an article on June 15 saying that it acknowledged that the epidemic control measures have affected the economy, but said that Xi Jinping’s decision was “completely correct” and that only “long-term accounts and life accounts” can stand the test of history. so on and so forth.

The article mentioned that in 1953 Mao Zedong summed up the so-called “great benevolent government” and “little benevolent government” put forward during the Korean War, and said that the current CCP’s policy of “coordinating epidemic prevention and control and economic development” is “great benevolent government”.

However, Mao Zedong’s rule of China has been recognized as a tyranny. The current dynamic zero-epidemic prevention system implemented by the CCP has been widely criticized for serious secondary disasters during the closure of Shanghai. The number of abnormal deaths is much higher than the officially announced death toll.

The aforementioned article also stated that insisting on “dynamic clearing” is the so-called “focus of smear attacks” against the party by “people with ulterior motives” in the United States and at home and abroad.

The author of this article signed “Wang Xingping”, which is said to be a homonym of “Internet Credit Review”. Hong Kong’s “Sing Tao Daily” said on the 17th that the “Wang Xingping” article not only represents the Cyberspace Administration of China, but may represent a higher-level voice.

Zhuang Rongwen, the current director of the Internet Information Office of the Communist Party of China, is considered by the outside world to be an official sent by Xi.

Since March this year, the outbreak of epidemics in Shanghai, Beijing and other places, Xi Jinping’s decision to clear and adhere to the policy of clearing the blockade and control has caused a major impact on the mainland’s economy and people’s livelihood. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held a rare teleconference on May 25 with the participation of 100,000 cadres across the country, emphasizing economic stability. Although there are views that Li Keqiang should convene the meeting according to Xi Jinping’s instructions, many observers believe that Xi and Li have divergent lines.

On June 15, the day after the Cyberspace Administration of China issued a document defending the zero-clearing policy, Lou Jiwei, the former finance minister of the CCP, publicly stated in a financial forum on June 16 that the prevention and control of the epidemic mainly depends on the public sector, and it is often biased towards closures. “But the traffic blockage caused by improper blockade, the inability to continue the industrial chain, and the inability of personnel to resume work are global, and it is difficult to be held accountable. This has a major adverse impact on the economy, and all participants are harmed.”

He believes that the control of the use of public resources should be strengthened, citing the relevant policies announced by the State Council of the Communist Party of China recently, including strict prevention of blocking traffic and “nine prohibitions for epidemic prevention and control”. At the same time, it is necessary to optimize the response policies and launch reform and opening-up measures.

On June 5, the State Council of the Communist Party of China issued a “Nine Prohibition” order in response to the public resentment caused by extreme epidemic prevention in various places.

Lou Jiwei said that private investment is reluctant to invest or dare not invest, which is related to many factors. The most important thing is how to balance epidemic prevention and control and economic growth. “The current method is not in place.”

Lou Jiwei, who was born in 1950, is considered to be a close confidant of former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji. Shortly after Zhu Rongji became prime minister in March 1998, Lou Jiwei became vice minister of finance, and in March 2013 he became finance minister after Li Keqiang became prime minister. Minister, resigned in March 2016. Later, he served as the chairman of the National Council for Social Security Fund. He was dismissed in April 2019. He is currently a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and director of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

A second generation of red living in the military compound in Beijing told The Epoch Times on the 17th that Lou Jiwei’s remarks are two-faced, and they are pleasing to both sides. “His position determines his position, and there is room for him. Saying he can’t be held accountable is just helping Xi Jinping to cover up. He is trying to please both sides.”

He said that whether it is Lou Jiwei or the Cyberspace Administration of China, the CCP’s generation is not as good as the previous generation. “Intellectuals and high-ranking officials are not realistic, they just talk about what is good for themselves, and they speak for their own position, and now we are at this moment. , stand in line. Those who follow Xi and oppose him are not good things. One generation is not as good as the next.”

Regarding Mao’s “benevolent government theory” raised by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the second generation of the red generation said to The Epoch Times: “What kind of benevolent government does Mao have. Great benevolent government is nonsense. They (the CCP) don’t take the lives of the common people seriously.”

Analysis: The battle between clearing zero and engaging in economic incompatibility with Xi and Li’s line has not ended

Japan’s “Sankei Shimbun” Taipei branch director Akio Yaita told The Epoch Times on June 17 that there are two lines to observe the political situation in China: one is whether Xi Jinping’s epidemic prevention policy should be adhered to, which is an internal affair; the other is foreign affairs , is to support the Russian line will continue. These two lines have been swaying in the party and debated all the time. Recently, Li Keqiang said that he attaches great importance to the economy. This comment from the Cyberspace Administration of China is a counterattack from the Xi faction within the party.

He believes that this kind of struggle is far from settled, and it will wait until the Beidaihe Conference results. But Xi Jinping has clearly been challenged very seriously.

Taiwan’s general economist Wu Jialong told The Epoch Times on the 17th that the CCP’s dynamic clearing is doing social monitoring, and the purpose of social monitoring is to protect the party and the political power, but social monitoring and economic development cannot be coordinated.

In response to Lou Jiwei’s criticism that the blockade damages the economy and that reform and opening-up measures should be launched, Wu Jialong said that if China’s economy is to recover, it must indeed return to the international capitalist system. conditions, not behind closed doors. “If your relationship with the U.S. goes bad, you will have no room for economic development. Closing the door and pursuing a planned economy will be a dead end.”

The second generation of Beijing Reds told The Epoch Times that the Cyberspace Administration’s statement was unpopular. “Now there are too many people who are opposed to the dynamic clearing. (The Cyberspace Administration) said these words and the people are disgusted.”

Under the strict control of speech, it is difficult to speak out against the zero-clearing policy. On April 14, Shanghai naval doctor Miao Xiaohui declared war on the official “dynamic clearing” policy on his personal account. The epidemic prevention official of the Central Committee said that if he had the ability to clear the situation, “I will cut my wrists and apologize to 1.4 billion people.” The post was subsequently blocked.

It can be seen from the outside that in the past two months, the official media have intensively defended Xi Jinping’s “dynamic clearing”. Ma Xiaowei, director of the Chinese Communist Party’s Health and Health Commission, successively published signed articles in the party media in April and May, emphasizing adherence to the dynamic clearing and epidemic prevention policy implemented by Xi Jinping.

Li Keqiang has confirmed at the two sessions this year that he will step down as prime minister next year, but recently there have been reports that his influence has increased in the economic crisis, and even the saying that “Xi is under Li Shang” has been circulated.

Yokogawa, an expert on China issues, said that according to the definition of all line struggles in the history of the CCP, clearing zero and engaging in economic activities are definitely line struggles, and there is no result for who wins and who loses.

Yokogawa said that Li Keqiang himself is incapable of challenging Xi Jinping. He must have the force behind him, or the force behind him directly pushes him out, because the person who wants to come forward must be a person in power who can fight against the general secretary. Only the Prime Minister, and for good reason, because he is in the economy.

“The problem is that it’s useless for Li Keqiang to jump out and engage in the economy, because clearing zero and engaging in the economy are incompatible, not within a percentage of your advance and me retreating. Because as long as Xi insists on clearing the zero, the top will not discard the clearing. , the official must be at a loss, he can only listen to one, and in the CCP system, he must listen to the general secretary, unless he is taken down. So this is a life-and-death struggle.”

Yokogawa believes that as long as Xi is still in power, officials will not listen to the part of saving the economy, because saving the economy will affect the clearing, and the clearing policy remains unchanged, and if he cannot do it, he will lose his position. So unless the epidemic disappears on its own, China’s economy will definitely go down.

Responsible editor: Gao Jing#