Xi Jinping’s other party purges – The Diplomat

Xi Jinping’s astonishing purge of top military leaders is well documented, but another purge within the Chinese Communist Party has attracted less attention. Xi Jinping mercilessly attacked former Politburo Standing Committee member and former economic tsar Wang Qishan.

Xi has not accused Wang of any crime, but the latter lives under virtual house arrest in Beijing. Wang has not been mentioned in Chinese official media since October 2023. But, perhaps just as importantly, Xi has systematically purged Wang’s patronage network, which he built during his career in the party. Last month, Li Xiaohong, Wang’s former personal secretary and the former top disciplinary official overseeing the China Securities Regulatory Commission, was placed under disciplinary investigation.

Xi’s decision to go after one of the Chinese Communist Party’s most trusted leaders, who has even led its anti-corruption campaigns, is likely aimed at ensuring that Wang and other Communist Party leaders do not stand in the way of Xi’s ambitions to secure a fourth term as China’s unassailable leader at the 21st Party Congress next year. Historically, retired party elders have played a considerable role in influencing the selection of top leaders. For example, former Vice Premier Chen Yun played a central role in the selection of Jiang Zemin as China’s leader after the Tiananmen Crisis.

Wang Qishan was once one of China’s most respected and influential economic leaders. His successes were legendary. He helped facilitate one of the World Bank’s first major loans to invest in China’s rural development and helped create China’s first stock market in the late 1980s. Working under Vice Premier Zhu Rongji in the 1990s, he helped establish the China International Capital Corporation while leading the China Construction Bank, which partnered with Morgan Stanley to create China’s first joint venture investment bank.

Wang guided China safely through the 1998 Asian financial crisis and the 2008 global financial crisis. His door was always open to international visitors, making him a bridge between China and the Western financial system. He was one of the last true economic reformers.

Perhaps more importantly, after leaving economic office to become China’s anti-corruption czar, he left in place a patronage network of highly capable economic and banking officials. Many had been his subordinates for decades and continued his reformist approach to the Chinese economy.

When I served on the United States National Security Council in September 2008, I saw first-hand how, when Lehman Brothers failed, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and Wang helped contain the global financial crisis. China agreed not to sell its large holdings of American securities, giving Paulson time to find ways to contain the crisis and avoid a recession or even a depression.

However, I felt that Wang was in political trouble with Xi Jinping as early as 2018, when Wang was then Xi’s vice president. I was part of a Brookings Institution delegation that met with Wang at the Zhongnanhai management compound. Instead of his usual professional attire, he was dressed like a simple Chinese factory worker and seemed to find it necessary to repeatedly tell us that Xi was the decision-maker.

Four of Wang’s former personal secretaries have been purged or are currently under investigation. All four held chief of staff or director positions while working for Wang, indicating their status as his most senior aides. The first to be purged was Dong Hong. Dong had been at Wang’s side when, as mayor of Beijing, Wang took charge of easing the crisis when the SARS outbreak brought chaos to the city. Prosecutors accused Dong of abusing his multiple positions in jobs of high economic value between 1999 and 2020. In January 2022, Dong was sentenced to death with a two-year suspended sentence. Since then, three other former Wang secretaries – Tian Huiyu, Zhou Liang and Li Xiaohong – have been indicted on serious corruption charges.

Wang’s wider network within the financial sector was also targeted. More than ten senior executives at China Construction Bank, of which Wang served as president, have been the subject of investigations that continue to this day. Additionally, several senior executives at China International Capital Corporation, the investment company Wang helped found, have also been targeted by corruption investigations.

Beijing argues that these are not political purges but rather the extermination of corrupt “tigers”. As Xi told CCP leaders recently: “[We must] not stopping for a moment or giving in an inch, [we must] Corrupt officials should not be given a hiding place, and no one should entertain illusions or wishful thinking. But this explanation stretches credulity to the extent that some of the accusations frequently leveled against corrupt officials involve their role as “two-faced men” exercising “false loyalty.” In addition, few relatives of the Xi family have been investigated.

Some prominent scholars have noted that a totalitarian leader must repeatedly prove his unrivaled power, even to the point of eliminating those most loyal to him. Xi’s purges of loyalists in the military have been well documented, with the ouster of five members of the Central Military Commission and more than 100 top generals.

Wang’s fate goes beyond theory. He never challenged Xi and instead faithfully implemented Xi’s will, even when Xi gave him the thankless task of being the party’s top anti-corruption official. Yet Xi is very paranoid, and Wang’s reputation, alleged political influence, and vast network within the CCP have likely proven too much for Xi to tolerate. Similarly, the military network of former CMC Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia could also have been seen as a threat.

As Xi looks to continue to dominate Chinese politics after next year’s 21st Party Congress, we can expect the same wherever he sees a threat to his lifelong rule.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos