Month: October 2022

No ‘Two Establishes’ in revised CCP constitution shows Xi not as strong as perceived; Xi signals upcoming ‘rectification’ with Yan’an trip

     SinoInsight  1      Several members of the 20th Politburo were appointed to new posts over the last week. Oct. 26 Li Shulei (58), the former propaganda executive vice minister, attended a meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) in his new capacity as head of the Central Propaganda Department. Oct. …

Read moreNo ‘Two Establishes’ in revised CCP constitution shows Xi not as strong as perceived; Xi signals upcoming ‘rectification’ with Yan’an trip

More on Hu Jintao’s closing ceremony early exit; why Xi picked the current crop of personnel for the top leadership

     SinoInsight  1      On Oct. 24, Channel News Asia (CNA) released footage of what happened about a minute or so before former CCP general secretary Hu Jintao’s unexpected exit from the 20th Party Congress closing ceremony. According to CNA, the footage was captured soon after “local and foreign media were allowed to enter the …

Read moreMore on Hu Jintao’s closing ceremony early exit; why Xi picked the current crop of personnel for the top leadership

Early points on new Politburo & PBSC; Hu Jintao’s early exit likely not factional struggle; ‘faster timeline’ for Taiwan invasion?

     SinoInsight  1      The 20th Central Committee held its First Plenum on Oct. 23. The plenary session elected the CCP general secretary, as well as members of the Politburo and its Standing Committee. The plenum also determined members of the Secretariat, the Central Military Commission, as well as approved the secretary, deputy secretaries, and …

Read moreEarly points on new Politburo & PBSC; Hu Jintao’s early exit likely not factional struggle; ‘faster timeline’ for Taiwan invasion?

Analyzing Xi’s 20th Party Congress work report; notice on ‘three public expenses’ hints at the PRC’s deepening financial crisis

     SinoInsight  1      Oct. 16 1. The week-long (Oct. 16 to Oct. 22) 20th Party Congress opened in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Premier Li Keqiang chaired the opening session, where he announced the 2,296 delegates and 83 specially-invited delegates. While there were a total of 2,379 official delegates, only 2,340 …

Read moreAnalyzing Xi’s 20th Party Congress work report; notice on ‘three public expenses’ hints at the PRC’s deepening financial crisis

Sitong Bridge protest reflects strong public anti-Xi sentiment; the West ups pressure against Xi and the CCP before 20th Party Congress

     SinoInsight  1      Sitong Bridge protest Incident At about 1:00 p.m. on Oct. 13, a man wearing a yellow safety helmet and orange overalls unfurled two banners on Sitong Bridge north of the 3rd Ring Road in Beijing, according to some videos circulated online. The man also lit an item that produced thick smoke; …

Read moreSitong Bridge protest reflects strong public anti-Xi sentiment; the West ups pressure against Xi and the CCP before 20th Party Congress

Why the HK gov’t is delaying Article 23; lack of political rumors before 20th Party Congress hints at Xi’s tight control

     SinoInsight  1      Oct. 10 The Hong Kong government submitted a revised list of draft legislation to be deliberated and passed in the current legislative session. Noticeably removed from the revised list was a bill on “safeguarding national security” (維護國家安全條例) that would see the government enact Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law …

Read moreWhy the HK gov’t is delaying Article 23; lack of political rumors before 20th Party Congress hints at Xi’s tight control

Western media, think-tanks publish unflattering pieces about Xi and the Chinese economy before 20th PC; US, Taiwan turn up pressure on the PRC

     SinoInsight  1      On Sept. 30, The Wall Street Journal reported that the China Securities Regulatory Commission told Western investment banks operating in the mainland like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan to avoid publishing politically sensitive research ahead of the 20th Party Congress. It is unclear whether Western investment banks are heeding the PRC’s orders. …

Read moreWestern media, think-tanks publish unflattering pieces about Xi and the Chinese economy before 20th PC; US, Taiwan turn up pressure on the PRC

Debate over the ‘people’s economy’ highlights Xi’s political and ideological dilemmas

     SinoInsight  1      Wen Tiejun, an agricultural economist at the Renmin University of China, proposed a “people’s economy” concept (人民經濟) in an interview with state media on Sept. 27. According to Wen: 1. The “people’s economy” has four characteristics, namely, “autonomy, localization, comprehensiveness, and people-orientedness” (自主性、在地性、綜合性、人民性). Economies that “defend sovereignty, develop autonomously, and are …

Read moreDebate over the ‘people’s economy’ highlights Xi’s political and ideological dilemmas

Probes completed into all named members of the ‘Sun Lijun political gang’; Beijing unwittingly betrays a lack of confidence in public signals

     SinoInsight  1      Sept. 28 1. The Supreme People’s Procuratorate announced that the National Supervisory Commission had completed its investigation into Liu Yanping, the former head of the discipline inspection and supervision team of the Ministry of State Security. Liu’s case had been transferred to prosecutors in Changchun City for review and prosecution. The …

Read moreProbes completed into all named members of the ‘Sun Lijun political gang’; Beijing unwittingly betrays a lack of confidence in public signals