The Signed Article by the Minister of Finance of the Communist Party of China Suggests That Xi Jinping Has Lost Power

The image shows a warning cone in Tiananmen Square. (Feng Li / Getty Images) Dajiyuan

[People News] Following the conclusion of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, senior officials have traditionally published articles in the official media, "People's Daily," serving as guiding documents for understanding the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session. In contrast to the past decade, other official media and social media have directly highlighted in their headlines that certain individuals published signed articles in the People's Daily, either adding or omitting the article titles afterwards.

To date, around a dozen senior officials from the Communist Party have published signed articles, including Politburo Standing Committee members Li Qiang, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, as well as the notable Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia and Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Hu Chunhua.

In these signed articles, Li Qiang mentioned Xi Jinping only 5 times, reflecting a relatively indifferent attitude; Cai Qi mentioned him 7 times, significantly reducing the tone of praise compared to previous years; Wang Huning referred to him 14 times, while Hu Chunhua mentioned him 53 times, and Zhang Youxia also referred to him numerous times. Those who were promoted by Xi seem to be toning down their support for him, while Zhang and the demoted Hu are making efforts to bolster Xi's image. Is this not somewhat unusual?

The author previously analyzed that this situation indicates that Xi Jinping's power has indeed been weakened, and his close allies no longer dare to support him as they once did, while those who appear to support him are merely masking the internal conflicts and changes within the Communist Party.

On December 2, the People's Daily published a signed article by Lan Fo'an, a member of the Central Committee and Minister of Finance, titled "Play the Role of Active Fiscal Policy," which further confirmed Xi's actual standing.

The article references Xi Jinping's name three times. The first mention occurs at the beginning, where it emphasises that "finance is the foundation and an important pillar of national governance." Later, in the first section, it notes that "the Party Central Committee, with Xi at its core, assesses the situation and continuously implements proactive fiscal policies." 

The discussion of fiscal policy during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period in the second section is particularly noteworthy. It states, "We must adhere to the Party Central Committee's leadership in financial management, ensuring that the Party's comprehensive leadership permeates all aspects of fiscal work," and claims that the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) represents the "most essential characteristic and greatest advantage of socialism with Chinese characteristics." It further asserts, "We must deeply comprehend Xi Jinping's important instructions and directives regarding fiscal work, aligning our thoughts and actions with the Party Central Committee's decisions. In the processes of studying budget arrangements, implementing fiscal policies, and advancing fiscal and tax reforms, we must consistently meet the Party Central Committee's requirements to ensure the correct direction of fiscal work." Xi is mentioned following the reference to the "Party Central Committee." 

In the third section, there is a renewed emphasis on the need to "resolutely implement the Party Central Committee's decisions and deployments," detailing key measures to effectively carry out proactive fiscal policies. However, this reiteration of familiar themes has limited impact, with statements such as "comprehensively expanding domestic demand and supporting the construction of a strong domestic market," and "effectively safeguarding and improving people's livelihoods, continuously enhancing the well-being of the people," among others. 

It is important to note that the CPC has been advocating for the expansion of domestic demand and the improvement of people's livelihoods for many years, yet the actual outcomes are acutely felt by the Chinese populace: life is challenging, and hope is elusive. Many Chinese citizens have come to realise that as long as the CPC remains in power, their suffering will not cease. Consequently, regardless of who is in charge within the CPC, as long as the objective is to maintain the Party's power, the Chinese people will not genuinely experience any welfare.

Disregarding the content presented by Lan Fo'an, it is easy to deduce whether Xi's power has been diminished based on the article's minimisation of Xi and its emphasis on the role of the 'Party Central Committee.' A comparison with similar articles previously authored by Lan Fo'an can further support this inference.

Following the 2024 Two Sessions of the Communist Party of China (CPC), despite widespread discontent among both party members and the public, Xi maintained his position of highest authority, with many senior officials remaining submissive and continuously offering flattery. After the Two Sessions, the 6th issue of the 2024 'Qiushi' magazine featured an article by Lan Fo'an titled 'Firm Confidence, Practical Action, and Solid Implementation of Active Fiscal Policy,' which referenced Xi multiple times.

The article opens by asserting that the CPC's Two Sessions are guided by 'Xi Thought,' and that financial departments must thoroughly study and implement 'Xi Thought,' 'resolutely carrying out the spirit of the Central Economic Work Conference and the National Two Sessions.' The first subsection of the subsequent section is titled 'Deeply study and implement Xi Jinping's important discourse on fiscal work, effectively serving and ensuring the governance and financial management of the Party Central Committee,' positioning Xi prominently before the 'Party Central Committee.'

The first part emphasises that 'to effectively manage financial work, the foremost and most fundamental principle is to... resolutely uphold the 'two safeguards' as a guiding motto for fulfilling responsibilities, thereby effectively serving and ensuring the governance of the Party Central Committee led by Xi Jinping.' Since the 18th National Congress, Xi has made a series of significant statements and directives regarding major long-term issues related to financial reform and development, and has frequently referenced his own remarks. The article further lauds Xi's 'important discourse on financial work, which is profound in thought and strategic in planning, enhancing our Party's understanding of the principles governing financial work, and is a crucial part of Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, providing essential guidelines and scientific direction for effectively managing financial work in this new era and on the new journey...'.

In just the past year, Lan Fo'an's statements have changed; doesn't this suggest a problem?

Several prior articles have noted that since the CCP's Third Plenary Session last July, following Xi's stroke, there have been increasing indications that he has lost both military and party authority. It can be said that changes are unfolding within the upper echelons of the CCP, but until the CCP makes an official announcement, Xi must continue to perform in the spotlight, much like Hua Guofeng did before his exit. Therefore, observers should not be deceived by superficial appearances.

(First published in People News)△