[Epoch Times, September 24, 2022](Reported by Epoch Times reporters Ning Haizhong and Luo Ya) The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is approaching. The leader of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping, returned from a visit to Central Asia a few days ago. , followed by rumors of its seizure of power. At the same time, there are also major foreign propaganda media saying that some Western heads of state will visit Beijing in November to meet with Xi Jinping, suspected of implying that Xi will be re-elected. Analysts believe that Xi Jinping’s seizure of power should be a political rumor.
Xi Jinping’s visit to Central Asia and his return to stealth sparked rumors
According to the Xinhua News Agency, the Chinese Communist Party’s national defense and military reform seminar was held in Beijing on September 21. Xu Qiliang and Zhang Youxia, two vice-chairmen of the Central Military Commission, delivered speeches at the meeting, and members of the Central Military Commission Li Zuocheng, Miao Hua, and Zhang Shengmin attended the meeting.
Xi Jinping, chairman of the CCP’s military commission, did not attend the meeting, but only issued “instructions” to the meeting, asking the military to focus on preparing for war, and so on. Another member of the military commission who was absent was Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, a general who was single-handedly promoted by Xi Jinping.
It can be seen from CCTV’s news footage of the day that Li Qiaoming, the former commander of the Northern Theater Command who was dismissed earlier, attended the meeting and sat in the front row. Previously, there were rumors that Li Qiaoming was involved in a “mutiny”.
From September 14 to 16, Xi Jinping visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan successively, and attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit (referred to as the SCO Summit) led by the CCP and Russia. According to the People’s Daily, the CCP media, Xi Jinping “went straight to the airport to return to China” after the Shanghai Cooperation Summit on the 16th, and returned to Beijing at midnight on the 16th.
Xi Jinping has not been seen in public since his return to Beijing and has been invisible for more than a week.
Looking at the official media news, I found that the CCP’s official media Xinhua News Agency reported that on September 22, Xi Jinping sent condolences to the “Chinese Farmers Harvest Festival”; on the 23rd, Xi sent a congratulatory letter to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the China News Agency.
During this period, a lot of unfavorable news about Xi was spread on Twitter and even on WeChat in mainland China. One of the most popular news on Twitter was that Hu and Wen successfully persuaded Song Ping, the former standing committee member, to take control of the Central Guard Bureau. Xi returned to Beijing on the evening of the 16th, was controlled at the airport, and was placed under house arrest in Zhongnanhai’s home.
Wu Ming (pseudonym), a mainland internet writer who did not wish to be named, told The Epoch Times reporter on September 23 that he heard the news that Xi Jinping is now only sending messages from the air and is under house arrest, and is not allowed to appear. He was also not allowed to participate in the most important reform meeting of the Military Commission.
Wu Ming believes that if he is really under house arrest, he may not have to wait until the seventh plenary session to announce that the nucleic acid (clearing the epidemic prevention policy) will soon end.
However, some netizens on Twitter believe that the reason for Xi Jinping’s invisibility and absence from the meeting may be that he needs to be isolated for a period of time in accordance with the epidemic prevention and control regulations after visiting abroad.
Analysis: Anti-Xi rumours to vent dissatisfaction
Current affairs observer Wang He told The Epoch Times on September 23 that it is not a problem for Xi Jinping to show his face, and he often did not show up for a long time before. Before the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping’s visit to Central Asia was in itself a performance of his own success, and he did not make a risky visit.
He believes that many people are unwilling to be re-elected for Xi Jinping’s third term, so they need to do something. “Rumours like this are flying all over the sky, and from a political point of view, they have no substantive significance. It is just an expression of dissatisfaction.”
Zhang Tianliang, the host of the well-known self-media “Politics in the World“, also believed in the program on the 22nd that the statement about Xi’s seizure of power does not conform to basic political common sense. He said that if Xi Jinping loses power, how can he have the ability to severely sentence members of Sun Lijun’s political gang?
During the period when Xi Jinping was invisible, six “political and legal tigers” who were members of Sun Lijun’s political gang were sentenced to severe sentences in the last three days.
“Nan Zao” is re-elected?Report again on the visit of European dignitaries in November
Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, which is considered to have a background in foreign propaganda, said in a report on September 22 that German Federal Chancellor Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron may go to Beijing to meet with Xi Jinping in November this year.
“Nanzao” is controlled by Chinese businessman Jack Ma, who is also accused of being close to Zeng Qinghong, a Jiang faction boss. On July 18, the newspaper also announced that four European countries would visit China in November, saying that “this fact indirectly confirms that Xi Jinping will be given a third term.” But the Chinese Foreign Ministry called it “fake news” the next day. “Southern Morning” said again on July 19 that the relevant invitation is expected to be officially confirmed later this year.
Li Lin, a current affairs commentator, told The Epoch Times that “Nan Zao” has certain restrictions on the content of its coverage because it is located in Hong Kong. Any news that touches on the inside of the CCP can easily be seen as the CCP’s venting. But sometimes the news is not necessarily from the same faction, and there is an element of infighting. For example, the news this time can be seen as coming from the Xi faction, in order to show that Xi will basically be re-elected.
Wang He believes that from the perspective of the CCP’s diplomatic layout, it is possible for leaders of European countries to visit China after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The CCP is now trying to win over the EU. After Xi Jinping is re-elected, he will want to divide the relationship between the United States and the European Union and confront the United States. But the European leaders will not come until after his third term in office, when he has a solid position.
“He will definitely make diplomatic efforts in this regard. But he will not disclose it until he succeeds,” Wang He said.
Responsible editor: Hu Yulong