Zhao Leji Urges Xi Jinping to Retire on Time, but Xi Refuses to Let Him Go

File photo: Within the CCP's top leadership circle, it is said that Zhao Leji is like a parasite in Xi Jinping’s stomach, tasked with handling the dirty work that Xi cannot say outright. (Screenshot from video)

[People News]  Despite appearing to have lost power, Xi Jinping has been actively seeking opportunities for a comeback. Reports suggest that he has proposed that Zhao Leji must retire alongside him in the upcoming Standing Committee lineup. Xi Jinping has also revisited past grievances, bringing the Shaanxi corruption case back into discussion, with the intention of bringing Zhao Leji down.

Economic scholar Su Xiaohe disclosed in his program that Zhao Leji has recently made it increasingly difficult for Xi Jinping to step down. Zhao Leji asserted that the National People's Congress (NPC) is the highest organ of state power and emphasised the need to reestablish the system of timely retirement for leading officials. He argued that the constitution should not be amended arbitrarily and that Xi Jinping's actions need to be corrected; otherwise, 'the Party will cease to be a Party, and the country will cease to be a country.' Zhao Leji insisted that Xi Jinping must retire on time, adding that he is four years younger than Xi and could still serve another term as chairman.

Su Xiaohe noted that Xi Jinping is under significant pressure, facing opposition from various factions.

An unexpected incident occurred during this year's Two Sessions: Li Hongzhong, Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress, unexpectedly took over from Zhao Leji to preside over the NPC's closing meeting, announcing that Zhao Leji was on leave due to a 'respiratory infection.'

At that time, Su Xiaohe revealed that it was rumoured that Zhao Leji would propose a special resolution at the NPC meeting the following day, jointly requesting Xi Jinping to resign as President. Xi Jinping had planned to oust Zhao Leji, but the news leaked prematurely, allowing the old military leader to rescue and protect Zhao Leji at a critical moment. Now, Xi Jinping finds himself in a precarious situation, having to justify Li Hongzhong's presiding over the meeting, indicating that he is losing control.

Independent commentator Cai Shenkun remarked that does this indicate that the internal power struggle among the senior leadership of the Communist Party has intensified to a life-or-death situation? Zhao Leji is the last loyal minister remaining from the Jiang-Hu era. In recent years, Xi Jinping has conducted indiscriminate purges of Zhao Leji's trusted associates, and as the third-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee and Chairman of the National People's Congress, Zhao is unable to safeguard even those close to him, effectively losing his basic dignity.

Furthermore, last year, reports emerged that during the 'Two Sessions', Xi Jinping, who typically sits firmly at the centre of the podium, rarely opens the reports placed before him. However, this time, he not only opened the report but also addressed National People's Congress Chairman Zhao Leji while holding it, displaying a serious demeanour, occasionally pointing at the report and even tapping the table, which created a tense atmosphere.

Zhao Leji's involvement in the 'Shaanxi Billion Mine Rights Case'

Zhao Leji currently serves as a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party and Chairman of the National People's Congress. He has previously held positions as a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Minister of the Organization Department of the Central Committee, Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee, Secretary of the Qinghai Provincial Committee, and Governor.

The 'Shaanxi Billion Mine Rights Case' is a significant corruption scandal.

In 2005, the Kaichilai Company partnered with the Xi'an Geological Mineral Exploration and Development Institute to explore a barren area in Hengshan County, Shaanxi Province, where they uncovered a coalfield with reserves nearing 2 billion tons. At that time, the market valuation soared to 380 billion yuan.

Between November 2006 and May 2007, Liu Juan (劉娟), a prominent businesswoman from Hong Kong, illegally forged seals and falsified documentation without possessing mining rights. She deceived the Ministry of Land and Resources, the National Environmental Protection Agency, the Ministry of Water Resources, and the State Administration of Work Safety to obtain various mining rights-related approvals, including 'road tickets', 'land pre-examination', 'environmental assessment', 'water assessment', and 'safety assessment' for her company, Yiye Energy, which was set to produce 10 million tons annually from the Boluo Coal Mine in Hengshan, Shaanxi. In the subsequent years, Liu collaborated with at least five domestic and international companies to resell these approvals.

On April 24, 2014, Liu Juan leveraged the mining rights-related approvals for the Boluo Coal Mine to sell 100% of the shares of two project companies—Yiye Investment Company and Yiye Energy Company—associated with the coal-to-methanol project and the Boluo Coal Mine project to Hong Kong Qinhuang Group Limited, earning a profit of 2.1 billion yuan.

Liu Juan's serious illegal activities in defrauding the mining rights for the Boluo Coal Mine in Hengshan, Shaanxi, took place during Zhao Leji's (趙樂際) term as Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee, leading to a significant loss of state assets. Zhao Leji holds substantial leadership responsibility for this situation.

Corruption Among Chinese Communist Leaders

The Washington Times reported last March that U.S. intelligence agencies were preparing a report expected to expose the widespread corruption and hidden wealth of leaders within the Chinese Communist Party by December 22 of last year.

According to Radio Free Asia, the report focuses on Xi Jinping (習近平), the 205 members of the Central Committee, the 25 members of the Politburo, and the seven highest-ranking members of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

U.S. intelligence agencies are set to include the secretaries of provincial party committees from 29 Chinese provinces in their report to evaluate whether these officials possess any hidden wealth or have ties to corruption.

Paul Berkowitz, a China expert and former aide in the U.S. Congress, indicated that this report could challenge the prevailing narrative of humility and self-sacrifice among leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Rubio's legislation aims to expose the vast personal fortunes of CCP officials, which they have amassed through means beyond their official government salaries.

Chen Yonglin, a member of the Australian 'Value Alliance' and former political consul at the Chinese Consulate in Sydney, remarked that corruption is pervasive within the CCP, with Xi Jinping being one of the prominent figures involved; the U.S. is capable of gathering information on CCP corruption, particularly at higher levels, through various means including technology.

(This was first published by the People News)