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New York Post
28-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Is Chinese Pres. Xi Jinping on his way out?
Over the past few months, unprecedented developments point to the potential, and potentially imminent, fall of China's 'Chairman of Everything' Xi Jinping. Chinese Communist Party elders — including Hu Jintao, Xi's immediate predecessor, whom Xi humiliated at the 20th Party Congress in 2022 — are now running things behind the scenes. Xi is in poor health and likely to retire at the CCP Plenary Session this August or take a purely ceremonial position. Xi's downfall has been rumored before. But never have we seen the recent purges (and mysterious deaths) of dozens of People's Liberation Army generals loyal to Xi; all replaced by non-Xi loyalists. Advertisement 6 There are increasing signs that Chinese President Xi Jinping is being edged out of the leadership position he has held since 2013, according to reports. KAZAKHSTAN'S PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/AFP via Getty Images Zhang Youxia, with whom Xi had a major falling out after helping Xi secure an unprecedented third five-year term, is now the de facto leader of the PLA. Also, the 'un-naming' of Xi's father's mausoleum last month was unprecedented. The mausoleum, which Xi has built to honor his late father, was larger than the mausoleums of either Mao's or Deng's. Advertisement Meanwhile, Xi's personal protective detail has recently been halved. What world leader cuts his own security? There was no explanation for Xi's disappearance for almost two weeks in late May and early June while foreign dignitaries were hosted in Beijing by other CCP Leaders. Xi has also been conspicuously missing from the pages of the People's Daily, the CCP organ that until recently ran fawning front-page stories on Xi daily. 6 Xi appeared tired, distracted, and generally unwell at a meeting with the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in early June. Belarusian presidential press service/AFP via Getty Images Xi reappeared to host Belarus dictator/Russian puppet Alexander Lukashenko in early June. Xi looked tired, uninterested — even defeated. Advertisement The meeting location was a low-key family-style area of the CCP leaders' compound (Zhongnanhai) in Beijing that had never before hosted a state visit. Stripped of the pomp and circumstance that used to accompany every Xi gathering, the entire entourage was a mere handful. None of Xi's translators or senior aides were present. Compare that to the state visits recently hosted by other CCP leaders; large, extravagant affairs in prestigious CCP conference halls. And following his recent call with President Trump, Chinese state media, including state TV, referred to Xi without any formal title at all. This has never happened before. 6 Wang Yang, recently appointed to lead the Chinese Communist Party, has been spoken of as a successor to Ji Jinping, reports claim. Getty Images While this was later partially corrected, it is inconceivable that such a glaring oversight was an accident. Recently, professors at some of China's most prestigious universities have published articles directly criticizing Xi, which was unthinkable previously. Advertisement These are just a few of many unusual signs from Beijing that signal major changes in the CCP power structure. Although not yet certain, it appears that Zhang Youxia and CCP elders have chosen Wang Yang, whom Deng Xiaoping lifted out of obscurity and who served as a successful technocrat until his forced retirement in 2023, to be the next CCP chairman. He is known as a soft-spoken reformer who supports more free-market policies, more decentralized decision making, and a much less confrontational foreign policy. 6 Residential homes line a deserted street in the Kangbashi district of the town of Ordos in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. REUTERS To paraphrase Churchill, China is a riddle wrapped in an enigma surrounded by a mystery. So no one can know anything with absolute certainty. But given the disastrous results of Xi's one-man rule, his ouster would be no surprise. With over $50 trillion in total debt (national, local and private sector debt is larger than the combined economies of the US and EU), well over 50 million unused (and mostly unusable) apartments due to government policy failures (enough for all of Germany), wealthy Chinese emigrating en masse with their assets and an unemployment rate in depression territory . . . it is not surprising that local riots, factory arsons and anti-government protests have flared all over China. CCP elders understand China needs a new pragmatic leader to have any chance of escaping the disaster now unfolding. 6 Author Gregory Slayton is a former US Consul General in Bermuda. Gregory W. Slayton Such a change will have huge positive implications for the US and our democratic allies if handled correctly. Trump can win the Cold War with China without firing a shot. But Russia, North Korea, and Iran could be devastated by this momentous change. Advertisement In fact, Iran's rapid defeat by Israel and the US has underscored the weakness of Xi's foreign policy. One CCP elder recently lamented China's complete isolation on the world stage under Xi, except for a handful of countries that are 'good for nothing.' Vladimir Putin, take note: You lost Syria last year, you are on the brink of losing Iran, and you may soon lose China. Excellent news for all democracies, and especially for Israel, America, and the brave people of Ukraine. 6 The author's new book on Ukraine. Xi Jinping once again proved the adage that 'power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.' May his replacement learn from the success of the global West (including Asia's most successful countries) and lead his nation onto the oftentimes messy but ultimately rewarding path of free markets, free people, real democracy, and the rule of law. Advertisement Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong (before the CCP takeover), and the tens of millions of successful Chinese people outside China make it clear that this is the best, and indeed the only sustainable path forward for China. Gregory W. Slayton is a former senior US diplomat, chairman of Slayton Capital, and author of 'Portraits of Ukraine a Nation at War.'
Epoch Times
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Concerns Grow as Protester Who Unfurled Pro-Democracy Banners in China Goes Missing
A Chinese man appears to have been forcefully disappeared after videos and photos circulated of a rare protest condemning the Communist rule in China, rights advocates said. A brief video and 'The people do not need a political party with unrestrained power,' one of the banners read. Phrases from another handwritten banner calling for political reform. The third included a demand for democracy in China, rather than having someone who 'gives the direction,' a phrase typically reserved by state media for the CCP's The protester who hung the banners in Chengdu was identified as Mei Shilin, a 27-year-old man living in the provincial capital of Sichuan, according to activists in touch with him. Growing concerns for Mei's safety prompted Du to make his identity public. Du said the local authorities may have taken Mei into custody. Related Stories 10/16/2024 4/26/2025 Drawing from his experience supporting Chinese dissidents, Du said that he believes global attention could be the only way to ensure Mei's safety and prevent 'inhuman torture' that might be inflicted upon him. He referred to the regime's notorious record of silencing critics, including sending dissidents to Du served as a chief legal adviser to Inner Mongolia's local authorities before being imprisoned for nearly 13 years for alleged bribery, a conviction he said was Du's account aligned with information provided by a Chinese X user, known by the nickname ' The blogger, speaking anonymously for safety reasons, told The Epoch Times that while efforts to reach Mei are ongoing, it is nearly certain that he has been arrested. 'We decided to disclose his identity in hopes that his bravery will not be forgotten and that more people could rally behind him,' the blogger said. Defiance in Communist China Public expressions of criticism toward the Communist rule are rare within China, where the CCP has already established the world's largest Nevertheless, as the regime has tightened its grip over the past few years, sporadic acts of In October 2022, Banners hang from Sitong Bridge in Beijing on Oct. 13, 2022. Dissident Peng Lifa unfurled the banners to protest against China's draconian 'zero-COVID' policy and call for an end to the authoritarian regime. Screenshot of Fangshimin's Twitter account via The Epoch Times The one-man protest took place in broad daylight amid heightened security leading up to the 20th Party Congress, where Xi was poised to secure an unprecedented third term. Some media outlets described the event as the first time Beijing has seen banners targeting the CCP since the Chinese censors acted swiftly to suppress the spread of related information. Videos and photos of the protest were quickly removed from major social media platforms, and The protester was arrested by police at the scene and was later identified by overseas activists as Peng Lifa, a 48-year-old man residing in the Chinese capital. Within a month of this incident, mass From the capital Beijing to the remote county of Korla, Chinese citizens took to the streets over the final weekend of November 2023, calling for an end to the strict zero-COVID curbs and demanding freedom. In Shanghai, residents voiced their anger toward the CCP and its leader, Protesters hold up a white piece of paper against censorship as they march during a protest against China's strict zero-COVID policy in Beijing on Nov. 27, December 2022, the CCP lifted its nearly three-year-old zero-COVID policy, allowing infected individuals to isolate at home instead of being taken to quarantine camps and reducing testing requirements for domestic travelers. To honor Peng's courage, then-U.S. House China Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) In a recent YouTube video, Du called on more people to voice support for protesters like Peng and Mei, saying what dictators fear most is the truth. 'These prisoners of conscience are like seeds buried in the ground. Their arrest and imprisonment are not the end, but the beginning of their blossoming and bearing fruit,' Du 'The CCP can confine the body, but it cannot cage the truth,' he said. Gu Xiaohua contributed to this report.
South China Morning Post
02-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
In a first for China's Communist Party, Politburo members Li Ganjie and Shi Taifeng swap jobs
In an unprecedented swap, the heads of the personnel department and influence machine of China's ruling Communist Party have switched roles, the South China Morning Post has learned. Advertisement Li Ganjie has become head of the United Front Work Department and Shi Taifeng is the new chief of the Organisation Department, according to people familiar with the situation. Li and Shi are members of the elite 24-man Politburo, but are not part of the core seven-member Standing Committee. There is no previous case of Politburo members swapping positions. The usual term length for any position at the duo's level is five years. Both were promoted to the Politburo at the 20th Party Congress in October 2022. Li was given his current job in April 2023 and Shi in October 2022. In his new role, Shi, 68, will oversee the appointment and promotion of senior officials. Advertisement Meanwhile Li, 60, will take over a department responsible for stepping up party propaganda among Chinese who are not party members, as well as overseeing religious organisations and political groups inside and outside China. It is also responsible for wooing Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwanese and overseas Chinese.
