[The Epoch Times, January 10, 2023](Reported by Epoch Times reporter Ning Haizhong) Xi Jinping, the leader of the Communist Party of China, mentioned anti-corruption again at the plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection yesterday (9th), saying that he would punish “daring and reckless people” and crack down on those with “backgrounds”. “Political crook”. Fu Zhenghua, the “political and legal tiger” of the CCP who was sentenced to death with a reprieve, recently appeared on the official media to “confess” and was accused of befriending “political liars.” Fu Zhenghua was involved in the case of Sun Lijun, and Sun has always been accused of having a big backer behind him.
The Second Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China was held in Beijing on January 9, attended by seven members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, including Xi Jinping. Xi said at the meeting that the CCP’s anti-corruption “situation is still grim and complicated” and that it would punish “those who act recklessly” and investigate “corruption intertwined with political and economic issues” and “prevent leading cadres from becoming spokesmen and agents of interest groups and power groups.” People” to prevent political and business connections, capital infiltration into the political field, and so on.
Xi also specifically mentioned that those “political liars” with “backgrounds” should be severely cracked down on.
According to the CCP’s CCTV, which began broadcasting anti-corruption films on the evening of January 7, Fu Zhenghua, the former executive vice minister of the Ministry of Public Security, appeared in the first episode to “confess”.
The anti-corruption film mentioned the “inside story” of Fu Zhenghua’s finding a backer, and also involved Fu Zhenghua’s association with “political crooks” because he wanted to be promoted. One of the “political crooks”, Shi Xiaochun, is a retired cadre from the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau; the other is Li Quan, whose identity is unknown. According to the report, Fu “has been manipulated by political crooks for 20 years.”
Official Media Claims that Fu Zhenghua Looked for Backers and Sun Lijun to “Empty” the “Leadership” of Public Security, Politics and Law
The CCP’s CCTV anti-corruption film disclosed the “insider story” of Fu Zhenghua’s finding a backer. It is said that Fu Zhenghua had always wanted to find a backer in his early years. In 2008, when Fu Zhenghua was working in the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, he met Sun Lijun, then deputy director of the General Office of the Ministry of Public Security. Fu Zhenghua felt that Sun Lijun held an important position at a young age, which was the upper-level relationship he was eager to make; and Sun Lijun had just arrived in Beijing, was fledgling, and was also looking for members of the “small circle”, and the two hit it off.
From 2010 to 2017, Sun Lijun operated Fu Zhenghua and successively promoted to important positions such as the director of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, the member of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, the deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Public Security, and the deputy minister.
In 2008, Sun Lijun was suddenly transferred from the deputy director of the Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office to the deputy director of the General Office of the Ministry of Public Security. After that, he served successively as a member of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Public Security, director of the First Bureau, director of the 26th Bureau, deputy director of the Central 610 Office, and director of the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office of the Ministry of Public Security. . On March 28, 2018, he served as a member of the Party Committee and Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Public Security.
Sun Lijun retired on April 19, 2020. On September 23, 2022, he was sentenced to death with a reprieve. After the two-year reprieve expired, he was commuted to life imprisonment, and he will be imprisoned for life without commutation or parole. Other high-ranking officials in the so-called “Sun Lijun political gang” case have also been tried one after another. Fu Zhenghua was sentenced to death with a suspended death sentence, Wang Like was sentenced to death with a suspended death sentence, Gong Daoan was sentenced to life, Deng Huilin was sentenced to 15 years, Liu Xinyun was sentenced to 14 years, and Liu Yanping has been sentenced to trial.
The media has reported that Sun Lijun has a close relationship with Meng Jianzhu, the former secretary of the Central Political and Legal Committee. Sun Lijun entered the Ministry of Public Security at the beginning of Meng Jianzhu’s tenure as Minister of Public Security. “Free Asia” published a high-tech column article, which disclosed that Sun Lijun was in Shanghai in his early years and was the English translator of then Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng, and that Sun Lijun was recommended by Han Zheng to serve next to Meng Jianzhu. Both Han Zheng and Meng Jianzhu are members of the Jiang faction.
According to official media, from 2010 to 2017 when Sun Lijun operated Fu Zhenghua’s promotion, Meng Jianzhu successively served as the Minister of Public Security of the Communist Party of China and the secretary of the Central Political and Legal Committee.
On October 29, 2007, Meng Jianzhu was appointed as the twelfth minister of the Ministry of Public Security. In March 2008, he was promoted to State Councilor and continued to serve as the Minister of Public Security and the first political commissar of the Armed Police Force. On November 15, 2012, at the First Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Meng Jianzhu became a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee; on November 19, he succeeded the retired Zhou Yongkang as Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Committee. But compared to Zhou’s Standing Committee level, Meng Jianzhu is only a member of the Politburo.
It is worth noting that in Fu Zhenghua’s latest appearance report, the official media said that Fu Zhenghua and Sun Lijun formed a clique, “making the leadership of public security, political and legal work suspended.”
Regarding the case of Sun Lijun brought up by the Xi authorities, many analysts believe that it was aimed at Meng Jianzhu. However, Heng He, an expert on China issues, told The Epoch Times on January 9 that of course Sun Lijun has a background, otherwise Fu Zhenghua would not please him, but the CCP has not revealed who it is so far, and may never reveal it. But Meng Jianzhu himself is not enough to be Sun Lijun’s backer. He does not have such a big influence, because he has only been in high-level management for a short time, and he is not on good terms with Zhou Yongkang.
“Zhou Yongkang is really powerful. After Zhou Yongkang stepped down, Meng Jianzhu had no chance to take his power into his hands. It was because after Zhou Yongkang stepped down, Xi Jinping took over the power. Opportunities for powerful forces, so what Fu Zhenghua wants to please must be someone with a higher status than Meng Jianzhu, who is probably not in power. And Meng Jianzhu may not be the target of Xi Jinping’s attack from the beginning, this possibility is the greatest.”
Current affairs commentator Li Linyi told The Epoch Times on January 10 that the CCP officials said that “Fu Zhenghua felt that Sun Lijun was in an important position at a young age”, which has already hidden the suspense about who promoted Sun Lijun to an important position. Another official said, “From 2010 to 2017, through Sun Lijun’s active operation, Fu Zhenghua was successively promoted to important positions such as director of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, member of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Public Security, and deputy minister.” The level of the year is not at the deputy ministerial level, so the problem comes down to who its backer is.
Li Linyi believed that Meng Jianzhu was at least one of Sun Lijun’s backers. “Sun Lijun came here when Meng Jianzhu first took charge of the Ministry of Public Security. It is rumored that Han Zheng recommended him. From this point of view, whether Sun Lijun has a higher-level backer or not, Meng Jianzhu has nothing to do with it.”
Analysis: Jiang Zemin’s Deadly Habit Continues to Shock Mountains and Shake Tigers
Behind Meng Jianzhu, many observers point to Jiang Zemin and Zeng Qinghong.
The CCP issued a circular on November 30 last year, stating that Jiang Zemin died in Shanghai that day due to leukemia combined with multiple organ failure. Officials then held a memorial service for Jiang, and Xi Jinping made a gesture of “praising Jiang”. In Xi’s 2023 New Year’s message, he mentioned inheriting Jiang’s so-called “legacy.”
However, Jiang Zemin is known for his corrupt governance, and Xi Jinping’s previous official documents also criticized Jiang’s time in power without naming names. Wang He said that Xi claimed to inherit Jiang’s “legacy” only to protect the party. According to the practice of the Chinese Communist Party. For example, if a certain person cannot be knocked down on the stage, he will make an abstract affirmation while making a concrete negation in the specific approach.
“Because it is difficult for Xi to separate Jiang Zemin from the CCP. In order to protect the CCP, he must protect Jiang. As for Jiang’s faction after his death, what will he do? It will be eliminated, but it is abstract and certain on the surface. Therefore, supporting Jiang and eliminating There is no contradiction between the Jiang faction and the Jiang faction.”
Wang He said, “Xi has made a political division now, breaking up all factions and destroying the Tuanpaituan, including the princelings, which cannot become a faction against him. So for Jiang Zeng’s faction, Xi is taking Sun Lijun’s case is shocking, and Han Zheng, Zeng Qinghong and other big bosses of the CCP must be involved behind it.”
Yokogawa also believes that in the power struggle, the CCP wants to beat other factions to death. But once the power is consolidated, when the leader of that faction is dead, the stronger side can recruit the other party’s troops. Because the opponent is dead, the threat is gone.
Li Linyi believes that the official statement that Fu Zhenghua and Sun Lijun have formed a clique has caused the central government to “suspend the political and organizational leadership of public security, political and legal work.” The spokesperson of the interest group vaguely pointed to at least Meng Jianzhu’s level.
“It is precisely because of the interest groups of Meng, Sun and others that the so-called Party Central Committee’s leadership over politics, law, and public security has been suspended, and Fu Zhenghua has become the spokesperson of this group. Sun Lijun alone cannot support this interest group. No If it is ruled out, the authorities will take follow-up actions against the backers of the Sun Lijun case,” he said.
Editor in charge: Hu Yulong #