Representatives of the People's Liberation Army head to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to attend a plenary session of the National People's Congress, March 10, 2023. (©Xinhua via Kyodo)
More and more signs indicate that Xi Jinping's position within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the military is facing serious challenges, or perhaps he has already lost some power. Currently, forces behind the scenes are subtly shaping public opinion. They are gradually exposing Xi's vulnerabilities, possibly setting the stage for his political exit.
The Bold Petition Letter
According to commentator Cai Shenkun, who still has multiple connections with people inside the Chinese system, an open letter demanding Xi Jinping's resignation was sent to his email. From its writing style, it appears to have been written by a high-ranking insider.
The letter's title is "Resolution and Signatures on Demanding Comrade Xi Jinping to Resign from His Leadership Roles in Party, Government, and Military."
Content of the Petition
This open letter is over 3,500 words long. In the beginning, it states, "Since assuming leadership roles in the Party, government, and military, Comrade Xi Jinping has exhibited numerous serious issues and significant shortcomings, resulting in immense losses to the nation, the people, and the entire Party."
The letter then specifically lists 28 errors committed by Xi Jinping.
Xi Jinping's Alleged Mistakes
The first point accuses Xi of adopting extremely left-wing policies in managing the country and economy. These include overly emphasizing public ownership and promoting the advance of state-owned enterprises while private enterprises retreat. Such policies have disrupted fair market competition and suppressed private enterprises.
The second accuses him of incompetence in governance. This has resulted in numerous misguided policies that have devastated various industries like real estate, education, finance, and internet platforms through non-market-compliant interventions.
The third accuses him of causing chaos and wasting resources, not caring for the people's hardship while pursuing grand projects. He has invested enormous funds indiscriminately in projects like Xiong'an New Area and on Belt and Road initiatives worldwide.
The fourth directly criticizes his political violations by not separating the party from government functions, emphasizing party leadership excessively. He has even forced private companies to establish party units under party control.
The fifth criticizes him for breaking term limits and amending the constitution to allow himself indefinite terms. This has led to a regression in state governance. Unchecked power has resulted in a loss of trust from both the populace and the international community, isolating China, and missing opportunities for global integration.
The following 23 points further criticize him for authoritarianism, personality cult, nepotism, and attempting total control over individuals. They also accuse him of concealing the COVID-19 outbreak, mismanaging the pandemic, and causing massive casualties and economic losses.
Other criticisms include adopting wolf warrior diplomacy, selling out national interests, engaging in lavish foreign aid, and destroying Hong Kong's democracy, freedom, and rule of law. Xi has also continuously threatened Taiwan with force, ignored social issues while suppressing protests, and implemented policies disconnected from reality, etc.
Character and Personality Flaws
The last few points of the letter even criticize his character and personality flaws, including vanity, refusal to admit mistakes, narrow-mindedness, temperamental nature, and disregard for the law.
Xi is further criticized for his twisted mentality, severe envy of the rich, unscrupulous methods, habitual lying, stubbornness, rejection of new ideas, and anti-democratic actions. He has placed personal power above national and people's interests, all under the guise of maintaining political security, etc.
Conclusion of the Petition and Call for Change
The letter concludes by stating that Xi Jinping is no longer fit to lead the country. It accuses him of being the source of today's chaos, and that every day he remains in power, the country and its people suffer.
Finally, the letter demands his immediate resignation. It calls for China to abandon the current system prone to dictatorship, establishing a new democratic republic so that everyone in China can enjoy a free and open life.
Background on Cai Shenkun
The letter is dated December 16, 2024. Cai Shenkun did not disclose whether the letter received signatures or how many, if any, have signed it.
Currently, Cai Shenkun resides in the United States. He left China only two or three years ago, so he still has many connections inside the system.
In September 2023, he accurately reported on the downfall of former Defense Minister Li Shangfu before anyone else. In November 2024, he again "predicted" the investigation of Chinese Central Military Commission member Miao Hua 17 days before the official report. This track record suggests his information is quite reliable.
The fact that this letter reached Cai Shenkun's inbox in America also indicates that it must have been widely circulated.
Therefore, I believe this letter has a symbolic meaning. It indicates that forces within the CCP system against Xi Jinping are accelerating their actions.
PLA Daily Critiques Xi Jinping's 'One-Man Rule' in a Series of Articles
Aside from this letter, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily has taken the lead in criticizing Xi Jinping. Specifically, it rejects his "one-man rule" and the "Chairman of the Central Military Commission responsibility system." As of December 18, it has published a total of five articles.
The core message across these articles is uniform, harshly criticizing the dangers of one-man rule. The articles also challenge Xi Jinping's core control over the military through the "Chairman of the Central Military Commission responsibility system."
All these articles were published simultaneously on the military network and the Ministry of Defense's official website. Each shares the common subtitle, "Be a Role Model in Upholding Democratic Centralism."
Summary of Articles
- December 4: The first article is titled: "Lead in Upholding Party Principles." It directly mentions that even a slight bias in how the secretary or deputy secretary handles public and private matters can impact the correct execution of democratic centralism.
- December 9: The title of the second article, "Lead in Upholding Collective Leadership," is very explicit from the outset. It states that major decision-making must involve collective discussion, and no individual can override collective leadership.
- December 11: The third article, "Lead in Promoting Intra-Party Democracy" is authored by someone from the Military Reform Office. It clearly states that although the secretary is the "head of the team," he must not regard himself as the "master of the house."
- December 16: Titled "Lead in Maintaining Team Unity," this article asserts that the secretary and deputy secretary must have the magnanimity to accommodate others, not allowing decisions to become a "one-man show."
- December 18: The latest article, "Lead in Seeking Practicality and Realization," reiterates the importance of democratic centralism. It criticizes "half-done projects," which essentially points to "unfinished projects." Also, it emphasizes that leaders should possess the spirit of "success need not be attributed to oneself."
The article on December 9 states, "Collective leadership is the core and essence of the 'sixteen-character' principle of democratic centralism, one of the highest principles of the Party's leadership."
Additionally, the article then devotes a substantial section to quoting remarks by Deng Xiaoping and Mao Zedong. It only mentions at the end that "Chairman Xi" also emphasized the implementation of the system of division of responsibilities among leaders under collective leadership.
'The Essence of Intra-Party Democracy'
The article on December 11 states, "Intra-party democracy is the life of the Party, an important foundation for active and healthy political life within the Party [...] Democratic centralism requires democracy before centralism. Within party organizations, the secretary, deputy secretary, and committee members are equal, possessing equal rights to speak and vote when discussing decisions [...]
"Though the secretary is the 'head of the team,' he must not regard himself as the 'master of the house,' turning the relationship with committee members into an administrative hierarchy, or seeing the responsibility of managing daily party work as a power above other members."
The Importance of Freedom of Speech in Democracy
It continues, "Allowing people to speak is the most basic requirement of democratic practice. The fact shows that a place where the truth cannot be heard has no combat power in its team, nor can the unit maintain a good atmosphere [...]
"Intra-party supervision is an important link and guarantee of intra-party democracy. By fully promoting democracy, accepting criticism and supervision from party members, and in the sound of democratic appraisal, one can reflect on oneself."
Calls for Unity and Practical Implementation Over One-Man Rule
The article on December 16 states, "To achieve good unity, we must uphold democratic centralism, which is the foundation of unity [...] Understanding unity is wisdom, being good at unity is an ability [...]
"When the secretary and deputy secretary are united like one person, the entire team will be united like a family. Everyone often says the effectiveness of a team depends on the top two leaders. In this regard, the older generation of revolutionaries set a very good example for us."
This article seems to point directly at Xi Jinping's extensive purges within the military, suggesting they have severely disrupted the "unity" of the military.
The article on December 18 argues, "The vitality of a party committee, whether it can form synergy, and whether it can make correct decisions on key issues, largely depends on how well democratic centralism is implemented [...] Without seeking practicality, without being pragmatic, without implementation, even the best blueprint is just an illusion, like flowers in a mirror or the moon in water."
Implicit Criticism of Xi Jinping
Although these articles do not directly name Xi Jinping, every one of them seems to be aimed at Xi Jinping, criticizing him.
Moreover, at the end of the article on December 11, the author's workplace is specifically noted as the Central Military Commission's Office for Reform and Organization. Therefore, even though the article is published under an individual's name, indicating his workplace like this suggests that it represents the views of the Central Military Commission's Office for Reform and Organization.
Isn't the message too obvious?
Political Dynamics in China
So, looking at all the information, the political situation within China might already be revolving around whether to bring down Xi Jinping, with intense struggles and operations unfolding.
From what we have observed so far, the opposition seems to be gaining ground, carefully but steadily expanding their achievements. It might become clearer, especially after Trump's inauguration.
Or perhaps, significant change might come even faster than we imagine.
Read the full English translation of the petition letter.
RELATED:
- [All Politics is Global] The Great Xi Jinping Military Purge and CCP-PLA Loyalty
- China, as Seen Through the Lens of Four Middle Powers
- INTERVIEW | In a New Trump Administration, What a US-China Policy Might Look Like
Author: Jennifer ZengFind articles by Jennifer Zeng on JAPAN Forward. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) and on her blog page, Jennifer's World.
