2024-02-03 12:58:42

The picture shows Cai Qi and Li Xi, members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, attending the National People’s Congress meeting of the Communist Party of China on March 12, 2023. (Noel Celis/AFP)

[The Epoch Times, February 3, 2024]The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, which the outside world is paying attention to, seems to be difficult to deliver. Many people believe that the reason for the difficult childbirth may be related to Xi Jinping’s difficulty in handling the group of troubled Central Committee members represented by Qin Gang and Li Shangfu, but there are also other speculations. The latest news is that Cai Qi may be replaced in one of his important positions, which will cause subtle changes in the power structure of Zhongnanhai. If this rumor is true, there will definitely be some competition within the top leadership of the CCP, so it is not surprising that the Central Committee Plenary Session was delayed.

Recently, news has spread within the CCP system that Wang Xiaohong, Minister of Public Security of the CCP, may replace Cai Qi in charge of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee (referred to as the Office of the CPC Central Committee) at the third plenary session of the CPC Central Committee in the future. This will allow Wang Xiaohong to take charge of the “two major departments” that are closely related to the security of senior CCP officials. Armed” – the Central Guard Bureau and the Secret Service of the Ministry of Public Security.

News regarding Wang Xiaohong, director of the Central Office, circulated following the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. As a result, Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, took over the post, giving him power in both the government and the opposition.

The news regarding Wang Xiaohong’s central office is more reliable than the transfer of Xinjiang District Party Secretary Ma Xingrui, who was rumored to be close to Peng Liyuan some time ago. There are three reasons:

First, at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Wang Xiaohong has been appointed as one of the secretaries of the Central Committee Secretariat, so that two people from the political and legal department will enter the Central Secretariat at the same time (the other person is Chen Wenqing, secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, who is included as usual). The director of the Central Office has always been the director of the Secretariat of the Central Committee. Cai Qi is in charge of ideology and is the executive deputy secretary. Therefore, Wang Xiaohong entered the Secretariat of the Central Committee in advance, which paved the way for taking charge of the Central Office in the future.

Second, when Xi Jinping took office in Fujian in his early years, Wang Xiaohong was Xi’s bodyguard. It is said that Wang lived below Xi’s house at the time. Since Peng Liyuan was not in Fujian, Xi often sent his daughter Xi Mingze to stay at Wang Xiaohong’s house during his business trips. This shows that Xi has great trust in Wang. Wang Xiaohong is also more experienced than Cai Qi in front-line security and violent stability maintenance.

Third, Wang Xiaohong has rarely traveled with Xi Jinping recently. Xi Jinping visited Vietnam on December 12 and 13 last year. In addition to Cai Qi, director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Wang Xiaohong was also on the same plane. This breaks the tradition of the Minister of Public Security not accompanying leaders on overseas visits. This may indicate that arrangements have been underway for Wang Xiaohong to take over the Central Office, a personnel matter related to Xi’s security, while Cai Qi is only a temporary replacement. This situation is a bit like that following Qin Gang was dismissed, the elderly Wang Yi “returned” and temporarily served as foreign minister.

As for why Wang Xiaohong is now arranged to take over the Central Office, it may be related to the fact that Xi is currently in internal and external difficulties, feels insecure, and is worried that civilian Cai Qi cannot effectively protect himself. In August last year, following Xi attended the BRICS summit in South Africa, he did not return to Beijing directly but went to Xinjiang for inspection. At that time, Chen Wenqing, Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and Wang Xiaohong, Minister of Public Security, both went to Urumqi to “welcome” and were responsible for security throughout the entire process.

If Wang Xiaohong replaces Cai Qi as director of the Central Office, this “knife handle” will be even more lethal in the CCP’s internal strife.

After taking office as director of the Central Office of the CPC Central Committee, Wang Xiaohong may not hand over the power of the public security department. Even if Wang Xiaohong steps down as State Councilor and Minister of Public Security, since the Ministry of Public Security has been purged by him in the past three years in the name of purging Sun Lijun’s remaining poison, the entire team has become the “Wang Family Army.” Therefore, in addition to the Central Security Bureau, which is responsible for the security or surveillance of national leaders, the Secret Service of the Ministry of Public Security, which is responsible for monitoring deputy national leaders, is actually still in the hands of Wang Xiaohong. Therefore, it is said that Wang Xiaohong will actually control the “two major armed forces.”

Cai Qi and Wang Xiaohong both belong to the Fujian Gang. Cai Qi is in charge of publicity and party building, and is also the vice chairman of the National Security Commission. Since taking charge of the Central Office, he has continued to seize power and exert more power than the number two figure, Li Qiang. This has sparked debate within the party over the past year. Some analysts have believed that if Xi Jinping suddenly dies suddenly, Cai Qi may be able to block Zhongnanhai because he is the “general in charge”, and then “falsely pass on the imperial edict” to seize power in the party, government and military, leaving Li Qiang and others unable to fight back.

Next, if Wang Xiaohong, who has a more fierce personality than Cai Qi, replaces Cai Qi as the director of the Central Office, Cai Qi will be disarmed. This may be Xi Jinping’s own calculation, which is to play with the balance of power among his cronies to prevent someone from becoming powerful and backfire on him.

However, to Xi, Wang Xiaohong may also be the Chinese version of Prigozhin in the Zhongnanhai chaos, with a traitor in his head?

Of course, there are currently only rumors regarding changes in senior personnel of the CCP. It is still undecided when the Third Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China will be held. Will Xi Jinping simply give up and not hold the Third Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China? But if things continue like this, because Qin Gang and other Central Committee members fail to deal with their crimes, and those alternate members of the Central Committee who are waiting to be replaced will not be able to take office, Xi’s authority will further dissipate, and changes will inevitably occur within the party over time.

Epoch Times first release

Editor in charge: Sun Yun#

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