Rumors are swirling about Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Is his grip on power starting to slip?
Welcome to China Uncensored, I’m Chris Chappell.
Things are changing rapidly for Xi Jinping.
And while he has essentially declared himself leader of the Chinese Communist Party for life,
that might not be for as long as he thinks. There have been major developments in the
inner Party factional infighting aiming to take down Xi Jinping. So, you know what that means,
it’s time for another episode of the People’s favorite Communist Soap Opera, General Hostility.
Previously on General Hostility, Xi Jinping has been engaged in a
life or death power struggle with a political faction tied to former Chinese leader Jiang
Zemin. Jiang is now dead. Over the past decade, Xi has purged countless officials
tied to Jiang. It seems like Xi is at the peak of his power. But it’s all downhill from here.
I will be sad when that show finally wraps up. And it might be sooner than later.
There is always the chance Xi could get assassinated. There are signs he is taking
that risk very seriously, as I talked about in this episode Check it out, I’ll put a link below.
But assassination carries big risk for the Jiang faction..
Two top Jiang faction members tried that back when Xi first came to power.
They’re both rotting in jail now. There’s also the risk that since
Xi has made himself the center of everything in the Communist Party,
his death could simply collapse the whole thing.
That’s why a much more common strategy of the Jiang faction
has been to “leak” information to Western media, about how Xi is screwing up and,
coincidentally, Jiang Zemin was such a better leader.
Take this recent article by way of example.
It’s based on “significant source in the PRC,”
Who said when Xi met Biden in the San Francisco APEC summit recently,
He asked for an “urgent $900 billion bailout for the communist Chinese economy.”
This information “came from within the CCP, from elements anxious to bring down Xi Jinping,
and they confirmed that the effort to remove Xi was now reaching a level of imminent action.”
So that’s all hogwash. Xi Jinping, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party,
begged Biden for almost a trillion dollars?
First of all, the cornerstone of Party propaganda for decades has
been that the East is Rising and the West is in Decline. They constantly talk about
the century of humiliation—where China was under the thumb of colonial powers.
Xi, essentially ceding Chinese sovereignty to the US,
would blow up the Party’s legitimacy as well paint a massive target on his back.
Also, I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but the US-China relationship isn’t so hot
right now. If Xi really asked for that much money, he’d be laughed out of the room.
And Xi probably knows, Biden does not have a spare trillion lying around.
The entirety of US foreign aid for 2022 was only $66 billion.
So clearly this “significant source in the PRC”
Is just spreading rumors meant to make Xi look bad.
Then there’s this piece.
It’s based on “sources familiar with China's domestic politics.”
Allegedly, Xi told Biden that he had no plans to invade Taiwan in 2027, or 2035,
years some analysts suggest might be the start of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
The message Xi was sending was that he fully intends to be in power even in 2035.
The article then goes on to compare Xi with, you guessed it, Jiang Zemin,
who retired when his time came and definitely wasn’t a power hungry maniac.
Which isn’t true!
Jiang held onto his position as the Central Military Commission chairman
long after he retired, and he hijacked the collective leadership of the Party,
by surrounding the new Chinese leader Hu Jintao
with his own people, so Hu effectively had no power.
So it sure seems like the Jiang faction, disguising itself as “sources inside the
Party,” are using Western media to spread a message they want.
However, SinoInsider , a risk consultancy that specializes in elite Chinese politics,
points out, “These “attacks” also suggest that Xi’s lingering opposition is greatly
lacking in political strength and influence as compared to Xi’s early years in office,
but have not given up on pushing back against the PRC leader.”
But even though this shows the Jiang faction is at its most impotent,
there are signs Xi’s time could be running out.
I’ll show you why after the break.
Welcome back.
As I was saying, the Jiang faction right now is at its weakest.
But that doesn’t mean Xi Jipnig is sitting pretty.
The Chinese economy is in serious trouble.
I’ve been covering the show motion train wreck of China’s real estate sector,
which makes up about 30% of China’s GDP.
That could lead to any number of catastrophes,
called black swan events, that would, “present Xi’s enemies with opportunities
to openly demand that the latter step aside to preserve the Party and the regime.”
But here’s a much more interesting possibility,
that long time fans of General Hostility will appreciate.
And it has to do with the Communist Party’s longtime persecution of Falun Gong.
Jiang Zemin consolidated his grip on power by launching a
systematic eradication of Falun Gong practitioners.
Jiang built up a nationwide police state to support it. During his reign, if you
wanted to get promoted in the Party, you had to partake in essentially crimes against humanity.
Including the mass harvesting of organs from Falun Gong practitioners.
That is largely what tied the Jiang faction together.
Not comradery, or shared ideology. A massive cover up,
so they don’t have to face justice for their crimes.
And that *was* a powerful weapon for Xi. He could essentially blackmail the Jiang faction,
holding their crimes over their heads by threatening to expose them.
That’s why anytime he purged a Jiang faction member,
it was always under the guise of an anti-corruption campaign.
But that could be changing.
Minghui.org, a U.S.-based website that serves as a clearinghouse for information about the
persecution of Falun Gong in China, wrote in this article during the week of APEC
That “Xi Jinping bears unshirkable responsibility for the Falun Gong
practitioners who were persecuted to death during his time in office.”
That’s as far as I know the first time Minghui explicitly
named Xi as being accountable for the persecution started by Jiang.
When Xi Jinping first came to power,
people hoped he would be a reformer. But in the 10 years he’s been in power,
He’s overseen the genocide of Uyghurs.
The destruction of Hong Kong. The humanitarian crisis of Covid
Continually threatened Taiwan
And of course, continued the forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners.
Crimes against humanity is not a card he can hold over the heads of the Jiang faction. His
hands are bloody too. And sooner or later, that’s going to come back to bite him.
So stay tuned for more General Hostility. Which wouldn't exist without your support!
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And as a thank you, I’ll answer your questions at the end of these episodes.
Today’s question comes from A Galah “A Christmas question. Since the CCP is intent upon purging
Santa, Why is it that they remain happy to send hundreds of containers of Christmas lights &
decorations to the West each year? Isn't that like Pol Pot selling home computers in Silicon Valley?”
The Chinese Communist Party is like the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.
The CCP is very paranoid about the spread of Western culture in China.
A few years ago, one Chinese city even banned all things Christmas.
Which is a shame, because in China,
for some reason Santa is always playing the saxophone. Which is the coolest incarnation.
But China is the world’s manufacturer. They devote entire cities to producing specific things.
And yes, there's a city called Yiwu that basically makes all the world’s Christmas decorations.
In that case, the Party is more than willing
to tolerate a little Western exposure to fuel its economy.
Thanks for your question and your support.
And if you want to know more about Falun Gong and why its being persecuted,
check out this old half hour mega video I made about it.
And click that orange button to support China Uncensored on Patreon.
Once again I’m Chris Chappell, see you next time.