By Li Jingyao
Chinese leader Xi Jinping is once again relying on some of the Communist Party’s harshest political metaphors, urging officials to intensify internal discipline and “scrape poison from the bone.” Analysts say the language reflects not only ideological tightening but growing concern about instability within the system.
State media announced that the latest issue of Qiushi, the CCP’s primary ideological journal, features a new Xi-authored article titled “Ensuring the Party’s Self-Revolution Achieves ‘Five Further Improvements.’” The piece, based on remarks Xi delivered at a Politburo study session in June, urges officials to “turn the blade inward,” “drive out the impure,” and act with “thunderbolt methods.”
Inside the Party, these metaphors are not decorative. They are signals.
Xi repeats call for ‘self-revolution’ and turning the blade inward
Chinese state media reported that the 23rd issue of Qiushi, published on Dec.1, features an article by Xi Jinping titled “Ensuring the Party’s Self-Revolution Achieves ‘Five Further Improvements.’” A note at the end says the piece is based on Xi’s remarks at a Politburo study session on June 30.
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In the speech, Xi argued that the Party’s “self-revolution”—using phrases such as “turning the blade inward,” “driving out the impure,” and “scraping poison from the bone”—would not weaken the CCP’s authority but strengthen it.
He also called for stronger enforcement measures, saying “thunderbolt methods must never be lacking,” that “iron rules must grow iron teeth,” and that wrongdoing should be “struck down the moment it appears.”
Critics see Cultural Revolution–style signals and a demand for absolute loyalty
Commentator Zhang Tianliang said the publication of this article signals a demand for absolute loyalty to Xi Jinping, similar to the political expectations placed on Mao Zedong during the Cultural Revolution. He said Xi is imposing standards of “absolute loyalty, absolute purity, and absolute reliability.”
“Xi’s language is extremely fierce,” Zhang said. “At the Politburo meeting, he also stressed enforcing the Eight-Point Regulation and continuing anti-corruption work. I believe this anti-corruption drive will continue until the 21st Party Congress.”
Independent commentator Cai Shenkun told overseas media that the article is an old speech repackaged to warn the bureaucracy. He compared it to Mao’s “Bombard the Headquarters,” saying Xi is using similarly charged rhetoric to warn the Party.
Cai also noted that Mao was 73 when he launched the Cultural Revolution in 1966, and Xi will be 73 in 2026. Mao used the movement to crush rivals and secure his political survival, and Xi, he said, faces a similar political backdrop.
Analysts say extreme measures are unsustainable
Current affairs commentator Li Linyi said Xi’s article reads like a justification for his version of “self-revolution,” at a time when officials are increasingly fearful of making mistakes. As a result, many avoid taking action, fueling widespread stagnation and public discontent.
Yao-Yuan Yeh, chair of International Studies at the University of St. Thomas, said corruption has long been endemic within the CCP. Xi used anti-corruption campaigns to eliminate the Jiang and Youth League factions, and after removing these rivals, he intensified his crackdowns to create an atmosphere of fear among newly promoted officials. Yeh believes such extreme measures cannot last.
According to statistics announced by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, 90 provincial- and ministerial-level officials were placed under investigation in the first three quarters of this year—already exceeding last year’s total. Forty-seven were investigated in the third quarter alone, setting a record high.
Commentators say Xi’s authority is weakening and his actions reflect fear
Commentator Tang Jingyuan said CCP political culture tends to emphasize what is most lacking. Xi’s insistence that the Party must achieve “five further improvements” suggests that these areas have not been met under his leadership and have, in fact, performed poorly. Tang noted that personnel selection and appointments have repeatedly run into trouble, with many arrested officials coming from Xi’s own faction.
“Compared with the past, Xi’s power is actually weakening,” Tang said.
Commentator Xin Gaodi wrote in Renmin Bao that Xi’s article resembles a political testament rather than a routine Party mobilization. He argued that Xi’s repeated calls for “absolute loyalty” reflect deep insecurity within the Party; his appeals for a “revolution of the soul” indicate that even Politburo members no longer believe in the ideology; and his emphasis on strict accountability reflects concerns that he could face retribution if he loses power.
Xin wrote that Xi’s vow to “never stop the fight” is aimed at potential successors, Party elites, and vested interests—warning that anyone who overturns his legacy after his death will face consequences.
Xin added that Xi’s language reflects fear, not confidence. “A genuinely strong leader does not repeat the word ‘absolute’ over and over,” he wrote. “Only someone deeply insecure does that.”
According to Xin, Xi knows his approach is no longer effective, and he is now pushing more drastic measures—attempting to force contradictions to the surface and eliminate anyone who might threaten the Party’s “red rule.” Xin argued that such actions will only hasten Xi’s downfall and make it “faster, more complete, and more humiliating.”
