As the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee approaches, the struggle within the CCP’s top leadership is intensifying. Recent reports claim that Shanghai Municipal Party Secretary Chen Jining has “abandoned the shadows and joined the light,” sending someone to secretly contact Zhang Youxia. Other reports claim that Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao, Wang Yang, and Zhang Youxia held an emergency meeting to discuss how to respond to potential threats posed by Xi Jinping’s faction to Beijing’s security and stability over the next 20 days.
Chen Jining secretly contacts Zhang Youxia
Commentator Xiao Shuojia revealed on social media that he received a new report that Shanghai Municipal Party Secretary Chen Jining sent a trusted confidant—a trusted figure—to contact Zhang Youxia in September.
Chen Jining and Zhang Youxia are key figures in the Xi faction and anti-Xi faction, respectively. Previously, some social media outlets suggested that Chen Jining was a possible successor, second only to Ding Xuexiang and higher than Yuan Jiajun within the Xi faction. Zhang Youxia is the most important driving force behind the anti-Xi faction.
Xiaoshuojia believes that “the secret contact between these two people is definitely a sign of something major happening. It indicates that cracks have begun to appear within Xi Jinping’s faction, and some are considering switching sides.”
Is Chen Jining preparing to jump ship?
Xiaoshuojia analyzes that Chen Jining’s connections within Xi Jinping’s “Xi Family Army” faction are limited, and he is unable to rally all factions within the Xi Family Army to fully support his rise to power. The news that Chen Jining contacted Zhang Youxia at this time is likely a double-edged sword. On the one hand, he is labeled as a member of the Xi Family Army, but he deeply detests Xi Jinping’s perverse actions. On the other hand, he lacks confidence in his ability to lead and unite the entire Xi Family Army in the future. The second-hand sword is preparing to jump ship, so contacting anti-Xi factions becomes his inevitable choice.
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Chen Jining has spent many years studying and working abroad, experiencing the two distinct periods before and after the June 4th Incident in 1989. It is believed that he has a clear understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of democracy and authoritarian dictatorship. “Because of his commitment to democracy, he decided to abandon the shadows and join the light, contacting Zhang Youxia, a core figure in the anti-Xi faction. What the two sides discussed and what they agreed upon is unknown. But, it’s a clear signal that Xi Jinping’s middle-aged and new-generation core members are starting to jump ship.”
Xiaoshuojia stated that this revelation may not be true, but it reflects three levels of anxiety in the current situation. First, Xi Jinping is in a precarious position, no longer as powerful and stable as he was at the 20th National Congress. Second, there are different candidates for succession within the Xi faction, including Ding Xuexiang, Chen Jining, Yuan Jiajun, and Li Qiang. As the struggle for power and succession continues, it’s normal for divisions within the Xi faction to emerge. Third, the military has become the most crucial force, and Zhang Youxia will undoubtedly be the kingmaker, which is why Chen Jining, from Xi Jinping’s faction, contacted Zhang Youxia. If the anti-Xi faction wins a landslide victory at the Fourth Plenum, Chen Jining could rise to the top and become a member of the Standing Committee, contributing to China’s future political reforms.
Hu, Wen, Wang, and Zhang held an emergency meeting
Another blogger, Shanhe Dongfu, revealed on his own media outlet on Wednesday, Oct. 1 that an anonymous netizen had tipped him off to a recent emergency meeting between Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao, Wang Yang, and Zhang Youxia.
The meeting focused directly on the core issue of the upcoming Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China: how to address the potential threat posed by Xi Jinping’s faction to Beijing’s security and stability over the next 20 days.
Sources revealed that the four agreed that certain key figures in Xi Jinping’s faction, particularly Wang Xiaohong, head of the public security system, and Cai Qi, director of the General Office of the Central Committee, might resort to extreme measures out of diehard loyalty or power struggles, potentially triggering an international incident and potentially impacting the Fourth Plenary Session.
To prevent a major shift, the four engaged in in-depth discussions and developed a series of rigorous countermeasures.
Wang Xiaohong needs to be closely monitored
At this emergency meeting, Hu Jintao spoke first. He stated, “The Fourth Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee must be based on stability and strive to avoid any form of armed struggle or social unrest.” Hu Jintao further emphasized that Xi Jinping should understand that any radical action would undermine the Party’s foundation, and he would not take such a risk lightly. Hu Jintao urged attendees to remain calm and to resolve issues through intra-Party consultation.
However, Wen Jiabao disagreed with Hu Jintao’s optimism. “He bluntly stated that Hu Jintao was too lenient with Xi Jinping, which could lead to many uncertainties. If these uncertainties get out of control, the consequences would be disastrous.”
Wen Jiabao specifically mentioned the activities of Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong. He said that Wang Xiaohong recently visited Xinjiang to inspect the deployment of local stability maintenance police forces. The sheer volume of stability maintenance forces Wang Xiaohong experienced in Xinjiang may have given him the illusion that he had sufficient power to launch a counterattack or create chaos. Therefore, Wen Jiabao emphasized, “We must closely monitor the movements of Wang Xiaohong and his public security system, especially the deployment of the armed forces under his command.”
Beware of Cai Qi and Wang Xiaohong creating international incidents
Wang Yang, from another perspective, added that it is important not only to focus on domestic affairs but also to closely monitor all developments at foreign embassies in Beijing and the surrounding areas. He specifically mentioned that “Cai Qi and Wang Xiaohong, both members of the Xi Jinping faction, may take risks and create international incidents.” Cai Qi may use interactions with foreign missions to create diplomatic crises and divert the focus of internal party conflicts. Wang Xiaohong may utilize public security resources to support Cai Qi’s actions.
Wang Yang warned that if these two individuals actually enter foreign embassies or create similar incidents, it would have a devastating impact on the convening of the Fourth Plenary Session and its subsequent progress.
Wang Yang’s comeback is becoming increasingly apparent. Chinese Premier Li Qiang suddenly coined the “US-China couple theory” at a closed-door meeting in the United States, sparking speculation that Wang Yang’s approach is making a strong comeback. Some analysts believe that Li Qiang’s speech in New York demonstrates Wang Yang’s powerful return to the highest echelons of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), making him the de facto controller of the US-China relationship within the CCP.
Commentator Tang Jingyuan stated that the “China-US husband and wife” theory wasn’t Li Qiang’s original idea; it was coined by Wang Yang in 2013, when Xi Jinping had just come to power and Wang Yang had just become Vice Premier and presided over the inaugural China-US Economic Dialogue. “Li Qiang would never have dared to use this metaphor to describe the US-China relationship without authorization.”
He believes that Li Qiang’s use of the “China-U.S. husband and wife” theory is effectively telling the US that “Wang Yang himself or those supporting him, not Xi Jinping, are now the masterminds of the overall U.S.-China relationship. This is essentially telling the US: Wang Yang is back.”
Zhang Youxia deploys elite troops to Beijing
As a military representative, Zhang Youxia stated at the meeting that the current security situation in Beijing is not optimistic. To prevent extreme measures potentially taken by Xi Jinping’s faction, he will continue to deploy elite troops to Beijing to strengthen the capital’s defenses.
Zhang Youxia revealed that he has discussed with senior military officials the deployment of elite troops from multiple military regions to gradually deploy around Beijing under the guise of maintaining stability. These troops will be deployed in a low-key manner to avoid causing social panic. However, their core mission is to ensure absolute security during the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
Zhang Youxia emphasized that the military’s actions must be stealthy yet effective, deterring potential destabilizing factors while preventing the outside world from noticing tensions. He also suggested that, if necessary, military channels could be used to send a clear signal to Xi Jinping’s faction, stating that any attempt to disrupt the Fourth Plenary Session through force or unconventional means will be met with a strong response.
A Chinese netizen revealed that on Sept. 28th, they captured footage of a large number of military vehicles traveling on the Baoding-Beijing highway. They reportedly included over a hundred armored vehicles and military trucks covered in tarpaulins. Netizens speculated that the large number of military vehicles entering Beijing might indicate some “major event” taking place there.
Tang Jingyuan believes it’s possible these were troops from the 82nd Group Army stationed in Baoding. “The timing is a bit sensitive, as October 1st is a sensitive date. Furthermore, the CCP just officially announced that the Fourth Plenum will convene on Oct. 20. The arrival of such a large number of military vehicles in Beijing is intriguing.” He speculated that the military vehicles’ arrival in Beijing may have been ordered by Zhang Youxia. Next month’s Fourth Plenum will be significantly different from previous ones, and we must ensure that no chaos occurs.
The authenticity of the revelations cannot be verified by the outside world, but as the Fourth Plenum approaches, various factions will continue to leak information through overseas social media.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Vision Times.
