Unusual Statements from the Vice Premier of the Communist Party of China: What Do They Reveal?

Dark clouds loom over Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. (Feng Li/Getty Images)

[People News] As heavy to torrential rains fell in Beijing, Liu Guozhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, conducted research in the city on July 12. A notable aspect of the report by Xinhua News Agency regarding this event is that the first paragraph emphasizes the need to thoroughly study and implement Xi's 'important instructions and directives' alongside the spirit of the Central Political Bureau meeting, as well as to execute the deployments from the State Council's executive meeting.

In my view, it is quite rare to see 'studying and implementing Xi's directive spirit combined with the spirit of the Central Political Bureau meeting' immediately followed by the phrase 'executing the deployments of the State Council's executive meeting.' This combination underscores both the 'spirit of the Central Political Bureau meeting' and the 'deployments of the State Council's executive meeting.'

The 'Central Political Bureau meeting' here likely refers to the meeting held on June 30 that focused on flood prevention and drought relief efforts, while the 'State Council's executive meeting' pertains to the meeting chaired by Li Qiang on July 10, which addressed flood prevention, disaster relief, and rescue operations.

Why is this considered unusual? If we look at Liu Guozhong's research reports from the past two years, for instance, during his research trips from July 4 to 6 this year in Shandong, in late June in Jiangsu, in early June in Hebei, in mid-May in Yunnan, and in mid-April in Shanxi, the language used consistently emphasized studying and implementing 'Xi's important instructions (directives) and executing the deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council.'

In early December 2025, he conducted research in Beijing; in mid-October, he was in Sichuan; in early September, he researched in Heilongjiang; at the end of July, he was in Guangdong; in late July, he conducted research in Guangxi; in early July, he was back in Beijing; at the beginning of July, he was in Guangdong again; in late June, he researched in Fujian; in mid-June, he visited Shanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia; in early June, he was in Anhui; at the end of April, he researched in Shaanxi and Henan; in mid-April, he was in Beijing and Hebei; and in mid-January, he conducted research in Hunan and Jiangxi, among others. The news reports reflect similar statements, emphasizing the need to learn and implement Xi's discussions on certain topics, 'according to the deployment of the Party Central Committee and the State Council...'.

Such expressions have become standard for other high-ranking officials, including members of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China. This means that even if certain issues have been discussed in Politburo meetings and deployments have been made in Li Qiang's State Council executive meetings, Communist Party officials can only refer to Xi's spirit and discourse in both reality and news reports. The 'Party Central Committee' and the 'State Council' cannot be mentioned alongside Xi; this was true when Xi held absolute power and has largely remained the case even after he lost some authority following his stroke in mid-July 2024. The former situation arises from no one daring to challenge Xi's authority, while the latter is due to those in control wanting to obscure the changes in Zhongnanhai and maintain a facade of harmony.

In his speech, Liu Guozhong emphasized Xi's spirit alongside the spirit of the Central Politburo meeting, providing detailed insights into the State Council's executive meeting deployments, rather than merely referencing the 'Party Central' and 'State Council.' The signals conveyed, along with the unusual behaviors of the second, third, and fourth-ranking officials in the CCP, the irregularities among senior officials in the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and state media reports highlighting Xi's mentions of 'under the leadership of the Party' and 'the Party Central Committee's centralized and unified leadership,' as well as the increased collective photo opportunities for leaders at the recent science and technology conference, all point to a consistent narrative. This suggests that after Xi's removal of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli in January, he did not achieve his goal of regaining full military and party authority. Instead, following several months of intense power struggles, he was compelled to compromise and confirm the continuation of the 'collective leadership system' established during the Fourth Plenary Session. The author has previously analyzed this in several articles.

Clearly, amid the internal and external challenges facing the CCP, with Xi's reputation severely damaged and becoming a target of mockery and disdain, the Party's high-ranking officials, in a bid to protect the Party and maintain their own power, opted to 'play a key role in the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, ensuring that the entire Party acts in unison and with coordinated actions' when confronted with a situation that is 'more intricate and complex' than ever before. While Xi remains the core leader, he can no longer dominate over others.

Liu Guozhong specifically pointed out that the 'State Council executive meeting' serves as one piece of evidence. At this juncture, Li Qiang and the State Council are no longer mere supporting figures behind Xi; they are now integral players in decision-making and strategic deployment. Li Qiang's remarks during this executive meeting about 'learning and implementing Xi's important directives and the decision-making and deployment of the Party Central Committee' also resonate with Liu's statements.

Despite the appearance that Xi Jinping's news is omnipresent and that he occupies a central role, subtle changes have actually begun to unfold within Zhongnanhai.

(First published by People News) △