Life Support Removal, Suicide, or Murder — The Truth Behind CCP Officials’ Deaths Revealed in Obituaries?

On October 27, 2023, a large screen on a street in Beijing displays the obituary of Li Keqiang. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images)

[People News] In life, CCP senior officials appear powerful and prestigious; in death, their fates are sealed by a single obituary. Some independent commentators claim that by analysing the wording of CCP obituaries, one can glimpse the real causes of death of top officials.

With Xi Jinping’s iron-fisted anti-corruption campaign and escalating factional struggles, mysterious deaths among high-ranking officials have become increasingly common.

On August 26, Chinese state media published an obituary: “Comrade Wang Fuyi, former Deputy Political Commissar and Discipline Inspection Secretary of the Beijing Military Region, passed away in Beijing on August 25, 2025, due to illness, at the age of 93.”

The independent media program “Youliao” recently revealed that from Wang Fuyi’s obituary, one can tell he died by having life support removed. According to their explanation, when an obituary simply states: “On [date], due to illness, passed away”, this suggests “the person was taken off life support” and that the timing was deliberately determined.

“Youliao” explained further: how can we distinguish, based on the CCP’s propaganda wording, which officials were killed, which died after life support was withdrawn, and which passed away naturally? The language is strictly differentiated.

The second category: if not death by removal of life support, then it is considered a normal death due to illness. But for retired cadres of the same rank as Wang Fuyi — that is, at the major military region level — how would their obituaries be written?

For comparison, when Shen Chunnian — a retired deputy military region-level cadre — died last year, the obituary read: “Deputy Military Region-level retired cadre, former Deputy Director of the Commission for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, Comrade Shen Chunnian, due to illness and despite medical efforts, passed away in Beijing on March 4, at the age of 91.”

“Youliao” pointed out that for those of the same rank, Wang Fuyi’s obituary was written “time first, illness after” (a marker of life-support withdrawal), whereas Shen’s obituary was written “illness first, time after” with the phrase “despite medical efforts” — showing he received genuine treatment that simply failed.

Third category: suicides.

“Youliao” claimed that Xu Qiliang, former Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, who died in June, committed suicide. Earlier rumours suggested he was “scared to death.”

Xu’s obituary read: “Comrade Xu Qiliang, former Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, due to illness, passed away in Beijing at 12:12 p.m. on June 2, 2025, at the age of 75.”

“Youliao” noted: when obituaries say “due to illness, on [date] passed away” — this indicates suicide.

And then there is the fourth category: for example, former CCP Premier Li Keqiang, who was considered to have been killed — how was his obituary written?

Take former Premier Li Keqiang. His obituary read: “Comrade Li Keqiang, former Premier of the State Council, due to a sudden heart attack, despite all-out rescue efforts, passed away in Shanghai at 12:10 a.m. on October 27, 2023, at the age of 68.”

“Youliao” explained: when an obituary states “due to sudden [illness], despite rescue efforts, passed away” — it signals the official was killed.

Li Keqiang’s death sparked massive controversy. In June, an anonymous source released details alleging he was assassinated, fueling widespread suspicions about his cause of death.

Similarly, Yu Jianhua, former Party Secretary and Director of the General Administration of Customs, is also believed to have been murdered.

His obituary read: “Comrade Yu Jianhua, Party Secretary and Director of the General Administration of Customs, due to a sudden illness, despite rescue efforts, unfortunately passed away at the age of 63.”

The wording was strikingly similar to Li Keqiang’s: “due to sudden illness, despite rescue efforts.”

Whether CCP obituaries truly carry such hidden signals, as “Youliao” claims, is impossible to verify under the Party’s opaque system. But one thing is certain: regardless of rank, officials inevitably become sacrifices to the Party’s meat grinder.

Since Xi Jinping took office, his sweeping anti-corruption campaign has triggered waves of suicides among officials. Analysts note that the soaring suicide rate may result from ideological pressure, vicious internal struggles, and the ruthless anti-corruption drive combined.

Earlier statistics showed that from late 2012 (when Xi took power) to 2016, there were 120 cases of officials committing suicide or dying under “abnormal circumstances” (such as drowning or drinking-related deaths) — nearly double the 68 cases reported during Hu Jintao’s 2003–2012 tenure.

Xu Yan, a professor of psychology at Beijing Normal University, once told China News Weekly that there was a saying that officials commit suicide at a rate 100 times higher than ordinary citizens, though this claim has no authoritative source.

Meanwhile, ordinary Chinese, outraged by rampant corruption, generally assume most officials are corrupt, so their deaths rarely stir public sympathy. △