September 26 saw Chinese President Xi Jinping make his first public appearance since his return from the SCO summit on September 16. His absence from the spotlight before next month’s crucial Communist Party Congress had been rumored to be the cause.
After his return home from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 16, this is the first time the media covered his public appearance.
According to observers, Xi’s lack of public appearances may have been caused by the necessary seven-day quarantine in a specified location followed by a three-day homestay required by the Dynamic Zero Covid policy, which Xi himself vehemently supported.
As the CPC prepares for its once every five years Congress on October 16, where 69-year-old Xi is likely to receive support for a record third term, his absence fueled rumors of tensions inside the party.
In order to quell rumors and speculation about internal conflict within the CPC regarding Xi’s continued leadership, the party declared on September 25 that all delegates, numbering close to 2,300, had been elected for the Congress in accordance with Xi’s rules.
The CPC announced in a statement that 2,296 people will be chosen to attend the upcoming 20th National Congress of the CPC on October 16.
According to the statement, the delegates were chosen via procedures mandated by the CPC Central Committee, in accordance with the Party’s Constitution and the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
A major purge of top security officers believed to be members of a political clique antagonistic to the Chinese President is underway while the Congress, at which Xi is likely to receive support for an unprecedented third term, is being conducted.
This week, three security officers received death sentences for corruption with a two-year respite, raising questions about the unexpected uptick in sanctions prior to the Congress.
The Intermediate People’s Court of Changchun in northeast China’s Jilin Province sentenced Sun Lijun, a former vice minister of public security who was accused of leading a political clique hostile to Xi, to death on September 23 with a two-year reprieve for accepting bribes, manipulating the stock market, and illegally possessing firearms.
A day earlier, the same court had sentenced Fu Zhenghua, a former justice minister and one of China’s most senior police commanders, to death with a two-year reprieve for abusing his position of authority and engaging in corruption worth USD 17.3 million.
A few hours later, the same court sentenced former Jiangsu official Wang Like to a similar punishment. According to official media in this country, he was also given a death sentence with a two-year remission for bribery, conspiring with criminal groups, and fabricating identification documents.
News Mania Desk
