By Li Jingyao, Vision Times
As shockwaves ripple through Shaanxi’s political establishment — a region long viewed as leader Xi Jinping’s symbolic “dragon vein” of power — two of Xi’s most trusted allies, Cai Qi and Wang Xiaohong, have vanished from the public eye for an unusually long period of time. The dual disappearance has triggered widespread speculation inside and outside China.
Analysts note that Party elders are still intent on “maintaining stability” and preserving the illusion of unity. For that reason, they argue, it is unlikely the regime will allow Cai Qi or Wang Xiaohong to “publicly fall.” Even Wang’s brief reappearance on Nov. 18 does not mean he’s fine, as critics point out he has been “剪裙边” (which translates to “cutting the helm of a skirt”) meaning Xi’s power base is being steadily dismantled by other Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members since late last year.
RELATED: Leaked Reports Claim Xi Jinping Stripped of Power at CCP Plenary Session
Cai Qi misses 3 major events
Cai Qi, Director of the General Office of the CCP Central Committee, was last seen publicly on Nov. 18, accompanying Xi Jinping on an inspection trip to Meizhou, Guangdong. The two visited the Ye Jianying Memorial Hall together.
Success
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Success
Check your email to complete sign up
But the next day, when Xi appeared at the opening ceremony of the 15th National Games in Guangzhou, Cai Qi was suddenly gone. In his place were NPC Vice Chairman Li Hongzhong, Vice Premier He Lifeng, and Zhang Youxia.
RELATED: Yu Menglong Case Deepens: Missing Phone, Corporate Shake-Up, Powerful Cover-Ups
A group photo of the event shocked observers: Both Xi Jinping and Zhang Youxia sat in the center — presenting what looked like a “dual-core” power image. But after vanishing from Guangzhou’s National Games, Cai Qi has not appeared in public since. The regime has offered no explanation about his whereabouts, or whether Cai is still involved in the inner workings of the CCP.
In reality, Cai has skipped multiple events this year where he would normally be required to accompany Xi. His recent absences include:
- Nov. 9 — Opening ceremony of the National Games in Guangzhou. By long-standing protocol, the Director of the General Office must accompany Xi throughout the event. Cai did not attend.
- Nov. 12 — Xi’s meeting with the King of Spain. For state visits, Cai Qi is expected to be present. He did not appear.
- Nov. 14 — Xi’s meeting with the King of Thailand. Cai was absent again.
What makes the situation more puzzling is that Cai Qi accompanied Xi on his trip to Guangdong — but then failed to appear the very next day at the National Games, where his presence was effectively mandatory. For outside observers, Cai’s “midway severing” of his accompanying duties is considered “highly irregular,” with some suggesting he may have been urgently ordered back to Beijing under unusual circumstances.
Political commentator Tang Jingyuan said some analysts believe Cai Qi’s absence reflects a “downgraded protocol” for Xi’s appearance at the National Games. “Xi no longer enjoys the status of ‘one supreme leader’ — his power has already changed,” said Tang.
Cai’s disappearance meant that aside from Xi, not a single Politburo Standing Committee member attended the event. All other attendees were vice–state-level officials.
A strange pattern
Tang added, “If Xi were still truly ‘one and only,’ it would not be difficult for him to break precedent and have Cai Qi attend the opening ceremony. This time, Cai suddenly left midway — it seems Xi could no longer secure that exception.”
Another sign of Xi’s downgraded treatment: In previous years, Xinhua’s coverage of the National Games always stated that Xi “用洪亮的声音宣布第XX届全运会开幕” (“declared the Games open in a loud, resonant voice”). This time, the phrase “洪亮的声音” (“loud and resonant voice”) was quietly removed.
Despite Cai Qi’s nine-day disappearance, Tang does not believe it means he has already fallen: “Since Party elders want to preserve the Party and let Xi continue performing on stage, they would not immediately move against Cai Qi, because he is Xi’s No. 1 henchman. He has irreplaceable symbolic value. If they really touched him, everyone would know Xi’s time is over — and there would be no point in letting him continue acting as top leader.”
High stakes
While Cai Qi disappeared, another of Xi’s key loyalists — Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong — also vanished. Wang accompanied Xi at the opening of the National Games on Nov. 9, then disappeared entirely until Nov. 18.
Commentator Tang Jingyuan pointed out that Wang, along with Chen Wenqing and Chen Yixin, forms Xi Jinping’s “iron triangle” of control over the security apparatus. Historically, no Public Security Minister has ever accompanied Xi to a National Games opening ceremony — yet Wang did, an anomaly that did not go unnoticed.
Even more unusual, the Ministry of Public Security’s website — normally filled with near-daily updates on Wang’s activities — published nothing. After the event, Wang vanished until Nov. 18, when he appeared at the Central Conference on Comprehensively Governing the Country According to Law.
A Xinhua report (China’s state mouthpiece) revealed he was among the attendees. But even with this brief reappearance, Tang cautioned: “Wang Xiaohong reappearing after nine days does not mean he’s fine, because since December last year he has been steadily ‘剪裙边’ — having his network dismantled.”
Wang Xiaohong has been ‘cut down’
Commentator Jiang Feng said Wang’s power base had long been hollowed out. The anti-Xi faction began “剪裙边” in December 2024:
- Dec. 2024 — Qi Yanjun, Director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau and Wang’s protégé, was sacked. This was step one: sever Wang’s roots in Beijing.
- Apr. 16 — Xu Ganlu, Vice Minister of Public Security and Director of the National Immigration Administration, was removed. Xu long served in Fujian — a Xi stronghold — and was a trusted ally of Wang.
- Jul. 2025 — Chen Siyuan and Sun Maoli, both vice ministers, were dismissed.
- Chen handled day-to-day operations; Sun oversaw equipment and finances. Together with Xu, they formed a “铁三角” (“iron triangle”). Jiang noted:
“The iron triangle was completely shattered — all three removed, and their successors have no ties to Wang Xiaohong,” said Jiang. He added, “Wang Xiaohong being ‘剪裙边’ is like a tree with all its branches cut off, leaving only a bare trunk. The trunk is shaking — it can fall at any time.”
A internal purge
Suspicion deepened after Dong Yijun, Deputy Director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau — and Wang Xiaohong’s top aide — suddenly died. On Nov. 15, CCP media announced that Dong died of “sudden illness” on Oct. 21 at age 58. But the regime suppressed the news for 25 days, fueling speculation.
Tang Jingyuan noted: “Dong Yijun’s position was not high, but he received treatment normally reserved for extremely sensitive high-level figures — ‘秘不发丧’ (withholding public announcement of death). The authorities concealed his death for 25 days. It’s difficult not to question whether his death was truly sudden illness, or if it was connected to the Fourth Plenum.”
Jiang Feng added explosive details: “According to insiders, the Central authorities sent a working group into the Ministry of Public Security to investigate Wang Xiaohong. They started with Dong Yijun, Wang’s chief aide in Beijing for five years. The strategy was clear — take down the aide first, obtain evidence, then deal with the master. This is the CCDI’s standard method.”
Moreover, Dong’s posthumous affairs were not handled by the Ministry of Public Security — but by the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission.
Jiang said, “This shows Wang Xiaohong lost control even over his own aide’s aftermath. His power has already been hollowed out. The fact that Dong was posthumously honored was likely because he confessed everything about Wang Xiaohong during the investigation.”
Xi’s core allies falter, but not publicly
According to Tang Jingyuan, the timing of Dong Yijun’s death announcement aligns precisely with other political shocks:
- Xi’s power base in Shaanxi was purged
- Xi’s stronghold in Shenzhen was seized
- Multiple provincial-level “Xi loyalists” were investigated
- Wang Xiaohong disappeared at the same time
Tang observed that Dong Yijun, Fang Hongwei, and Jing Junhai all share one trait: “They are close to the innermost circle of Xi’s faction — but not the core. This looks like classic ‘剪裙边.’” And perhaps most crucially, he added: “As long as anti-Xi elders want to maintain stability and need Xi to cooperate on stage, they are unlikely to let core figures like Cai Qi and Wang Xiaohong publicly fall.”
That, he argues, is why their disappearances are shrouded in ambiguity — not clarity.
Editorial note: Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Vision Times.
