Four Strong Articles in the PLA Daily: Is Xi Jinping’s Military Power Being Undermined? Xi Reveals Internal Party Conflicts (Provided by Tang Qing on Current Affairs)
[People News] Before the CCP Central Committee's Fourth Plenum was convened, the Fourth Plenum of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) took place on January 6. Xi Jinping attended and delivered a speech, focusing heavily on the fight against corruption. As usual, his speech spurred a wave of study sessions, with the Party’s official media and PLA Daily publishing articles to promote it. However, when comparing these reports to those following the Third CCDI Plenum in January 2024, notable differences emerge.
On January 8, PLA Daily published two articles: Further Strengthen Determination and Confidence in the Fight Against Corruption and Resolutely Win the Tough, Prolonged, and Comprehensive Battles Against Corruption. The first article emphasized the significance of Xi’s speech, describing it as “visionary, profound, problem-focused, and thought-provoking, providing important guidance…” It concluded by highlighting the need to deeply grasp the “Two Establishes” and achieve the “Two Safeguards,” while adhering to the Chairman Responsibility System. The second article detailed how Xi’s speech resonated across the military. It mentioned “Chairman Xi” in a few instances, but only as part of phrases like “Chairman Xi’s speech” and referenced the “Two Establishes” and “Two Safeguards” toward the end, with no further accolades.
Now compare this to PLA Daily’s coverage of Xi Jinping’s speech at the Third CCDI Plenum on January 8, 2024.
On January 10, PLA Daily published an article titled Resolutely Win the Tough and Prolonged Battles Against Corruption, which described the enthusiastic reception of Xi’s speech within the military. In the opening paragraph, it declared: “The vast majority of officers and soldiers resolutely stated their commitment to deeply study and implement Chairman Xi’s important speech and his thoughts on the Party’s self-revolution, firmly uphold the ‘Two Establishes,’ and resolutely achieve the ‘Two Safeguards’...” The article praised Xi’s speech as “visionary, broad in scope, profound in thought, and rich in content,” frequently using phrases like “Chairman Xi pointed out.”
On January 11, PLA Daily published an article titled Deeply Understand Chairman Xi’s Important Thoughts on the Party’s Self-Revolution. The title itself prominently featured “Chairman Xi.” The article included standard phrases of loyalty such as “Establish” and “Safeguard” and added considerable praise, describing Xi’s leadership as “opening a new frontier of self-revolution” and referring to “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” as the fundamental guide.
On January 12, PLA Daily published Continue Advancing the Fight Against Corruption in Depth, which featured numerous laudatory phrases about Xi, such as “Chairman Xi personally planned, personally deployed, and personally advanced” the anti-corruption campaign, “Chairman Xi made seven clear directives,” and “the whole Party is deeply engaged in thematic education on studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought…”
These differences reveal a clear contrast in tone and language between the reports on the Fourth and Third CCDI Plenums. The earlier articles contained more direct and frequent praise of Xi Jinping, while the more recent ones were noticeably restrained. This divergence may hint at subtle shifts in the dynamics of Xi’s relationship with the military or broader political climate.
On January 13, alongside news of He Weidong emphasizing the need to study Xi Jinping’s concept of self-revolution during an expanded meeting of the CMC Discipline Inspection Commission, PLA Daily published an article titled Strive to Be a Model of Self-Revolution and a Benchmark for Discipline and Integrity. The piece urged discipline inspection and supervisory bodies to achieve “absolute loyalty, absolute reliability, and absolute purity,” as well as uphold the “Two Establishes” and implement the “Two Safeguards.”
When comparing reports from the two CCDI plenums nearly a year apart, it is evident that the tone of praise for Xi Jinping has noticeably softened. Is this a deliberate move by Xi, or does it reflect a weakening of his power after the Third Plenum? Judging by the various anomalies in the military and high-level leadership, the latter seems more likely.
At both the Third and Fourth CCDI Plenums, Xi Jinping delivered speeches with largely similar content. However, an interesting shift is seen in their titles. In January 2024, the speech was titled Resolutely Win the Tough and Prolonged Battles Against Corruption, while this year’s title became Resolutely Fight the Tough, Prolonged, and Comprehensive Battles Against Corruption. The change in phrasing suggests that, after a year, the so-called “tough battles” against corruption have not been “won,” forcing this year’s goal to be downgraded to merely “fighting well.”
Another difference lies in Xi’s directives to discipline inspection officials. In 2024, Xi explicitly called on these cadres to “always maintain absolute loyalty, absolute reliability, and absolute purity” and to “remain in unity with the Party Central Committee under any circumstances, transforming the ‘Four Consciousnesses,’ ‘Four Confidences,’ and ‘Two Safeguards’ into practical actions of obeying the Party’s commands and fulfilling responsibilities for the Party.” This year, such statements were absent. Instead, Xi spoke more generally about “enhancing capabilities to rectify conduct, enforce discipline, and fight corruption” and “building a loyal, clean, responsible, and battle-ready discipline inspection force.”
Xi’s toned-down speech raises questions. Have discipline inspection officials already achieved “absolute loyalty, absolute reliability, and absolute purity,” or is Xi himself facing some form of constraint? If Xi’s position as the unchallengeable “supreme leader” remained intact, would his tone have been softened?
From the declining prominence of standard loyalty phrases in official reports, the reduction in praise for Xi, and the softer language in his speeches, does this indicate a shift in Xi’s status within the Party and the military? △
(People News Exclusive Report)
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