On June 23, Lu Hao, Minister of Natural Resources of the Communist Party of China, was transferred to Secretary of the Party Group of the Development Research Center of the State Council. Whether Lu Hao was relegated at a sensitive time before the 20th National Congress has different interpretations. Observers also suggested that the outcome of high-level infighting is actually decided by two departments.
The 55-year-old Lu Hao has set records all the way. At the age of 35, he served as the deputy mayor of Beijing, becoming the youngest deputy ministerial-level official; at the age of 41, he succeeded Hu Chunhua as the first secretary of the Central Secretariat of the Communist Youth League, becoming the youngest ministerial-level official. At the age of 46, he became the governor of Heilongjiang Province. From March 2018, Lu Hao served as the newly formed Minister of Natural Resources until this transfer.
Sing Tao Daily believes that Lu Hao has been turned from a cabinet member to a think tank leader, and the career of this “tuanpai star” is obviously going bleak.
But there are also different views. For example, the commentator Zheng Xuguang pointed out that the Development Research Center of the State Council is a public institution directly under the State Council.
Zheng Xuguang believes that, judging from the recent high-level policy changes, Li Keqiang has the upper hand in the struggle for dynamic clearing and saving the economy. In the last year, the next prime minister and the top candidates of the State Council were arranged. Hu Chunhua was the successor of Li Keqiang, who was rumored to be Li Keqiang.
Affected by the CCP’s black-box politics, the outside world can only rely on speculation about the direction of power in the 20 major Zhongnanhai. The most unanimous judgment of all parties is that as long as Xi Jinping holds military power and the Central Guard Bureau, it will be difficult for the CCP elders to raise a real challenge.
China affairs expert Lin Heli published an article in a Washington think tank in January titled “As Rival Factions Gain Traction, Xi Seeks to Secure Support from the Military”. He wrote, “Xi Jinping’s confidant, Ding Xuexiang, director of the Central Office of the Communist Party of China, is responsible for allocating drivers, secretaries and security personnel to most Politburo members and veterans. Ding also maintains a surveillance system for the military’s top ranks, including telephone wiretapping and security guards. Monitor their private activities closely.”
Dr. Cheng Xiaonong, an expert on China affairs, told VOA that the top leaders of the CCP directly control the so-called “national level” leaders of the CCP through three key departments – the Central Guard Bureau, the Health Bureau and the Confidential Communication Bureau. The bureau is particularly important, not only responsible for protecting the personal safety of the top CCP officials, but also monitoring their every move.
The question is whether the Central Guard is firmly in Xi Jinping’s hands.
Just last year, the Central Guard Bureau suddenly changed its director, and Wang Shaojun was replaced by Zhou Hongxu, deputy chief of the Army of the Northern Theater Command. However, seven months later, in January this year, Wang Shaojun appeared at the opening ceremony of the seminar for officials of the CCP, government, army, provincial and ministerial level. “Duoweiwang” analyzed at the time that Wang Shaojun was on the left side of Tang Fangyu, deputy director of the Central Office of the Communist Party of China, and on the right was Jiang Jianguo, deputy director of the Central Propaganda Department. Obviously, Wang Shaojun did not attend the meeting as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. He was wearing casual clothes that day.
The commentator Lao Deng, who frequently broke the news of high-level insiders recently, said on June 21 that according to domestic sources, when Xi Jinping transferred Wang Shaojun to the CPPCC, Zhang Youxia introduced Zhou Hongxu to control the Central Guard Bureau, but Zhou Hongxu was not interested in some businesses. I didn’t understand, and I didn’t want to take a political stand, so I transferred Wang Shaojun back to assist Zhou Hongxu. At present, the Central Guard Bureau is in charge of other Zhenguo level, but Xi Jinping’s security work is in charge of Wang Xiaohong’s Secret Service.
Lao Deng said, it seems that the anti-Xi faction controls the Central Guard Bureau, and the Xi family army controls the Secret Service. If the infighting worsens in the future, it will evolve into a struggle between these two departments.