(October 17, 2024) The internal power struggles within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) remain secretive. Recently, two of Xi Jinping’s close allies—Li Xi, Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), and Wang Xiaohong, China’s State Councilor—visited Tianjin for "research," raising eyebrows. Tianjin is currently led by Chen Miner, who was once rumored to be Xi’s successor. Analysts believe that the visit by both Li Xi and Wang Xiaohong, both considered Xi’s "swords," signals an internal CCP power struggle, potentially unfavorable for Chen Miner.

According to reports from CCP’s Xinhua News Agency, on October 15-16, Wang Xiaohong, who also serves as Secretary of the Party Committee and Minister of Public Security, visited Tianjin in his capacity as a Secretary of the CCP Central Secretariat and State Councilor. His focus was on "supporting high-quality economic development" and inspecting the operations of local enterprises.

Wang Xiaohong praised Xi Jinping’s recent speech at the Politburo meeting and emphasized the need for Tianjin to implement "decision-making directives" from the central government. He also called for stronger efforts to roll out new policies, urging alignment with the Party’s leadership. His remarks briefly touched on matters related to public security, calling for closer coordination between public security agencies and other departments.

Meanwhile, Li Xi, a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee and Secretary of the CCDI, also visited Tianjin from October 14 to 16. His visit mainly focused on anti-corruption efforts, with stops at the Tianjin Port Second Container Terminal, CNOOC Engineering’s Tianjin Intelligent Manufacturing Branch, and other enterprises, as well as at historical and educational sites. Chen Miner accompanied him throughout the trip.

Political commentator Zhong Yuan noted the unusual nature of these visits, telling The Epoch Times that Wang Xiaohong, as Minister of Public Security, would typically inspect the local public security system, but instead, he visited enterprises, which seemed out of his purview. He commented that Wang's focus on economic matters indicated he was acting beyond his usual role.

Zhong Yuan suggested that rumors about Xi Jinping losing power may have prompted Wang Xiaohong’s visit, which served as a public display of loyalty to Xi. Wang's visit might have been a strategic move to show that Xi’s faction remains in control, particularly over economic affairs.

Regarding Li Xi’s simultaneous visit, Zhong Yuan noted that while Chen Miner has been a prominent figure in Xi’s faction, he did not advance to the Politburo Standing Committee at the 20th National Congress, likely due to rumors about his being Xi’s successor, which may have hindered his promotion. Recently, there have been reports of intense competition to become Xi’s successor, and it’s possible that figures like Li Xi are attempting to raise Chen Miner’s profile to position him as a candidate.

Gong Xiangsheng, a research fellow at Taiwan's National Defense Security Research Institute, told The Epoch Times that the visits by both Li Xi and Wang Xiaohong seemed to target Chen Miner, possibly applying pressure. Since both men are considered Xi’s enforcers, Gong speculated that if Chen Miner were to fall from power, the authorities might already be laying the groundwork for future personnel changes and using the current state of Tianjin’s economy as a metric for assessment. Tianjin’s proximity to Beijing makes Chen Miner’s position precarious.

Lai Rongwei, Executive Director of Taiwan Inspiration Association (TIA), also shared with The Epoch Times that Xi’s faction includes different sub-groups. Li Qiang and Chen Miner are part of the Zhejiang faction, while Cai Qi and Wang Xiaohong belong to the Fujian faction. Lai speculated that Wang’s remarks about economic policy during his visit to Tianjin might have been a message directed at Chen Miner, as Li Qiang, the current Premier, is responsible for economic affairs. He noted that Wang’s criticism of Tianjin’s economic performance could reflect dissatisfaction with Chen Miner.

Lai added that Li Xi’s visit appeared to be an attempt to balance power, a tactic typical of Xi Jinping, who often pits factions against each other. Xi may have sent Li Xi to counterbalance Cai Qi’s influence, signaling potential pressure on Chen Miner or reflecting Xi’s dissatisfaction with him.

Chen Miner, a graduate of a teacher's college in Chinese literature, started his career as a theoretical instructor at a local party school in Zhejiang before rising through the ranks. He was promoted by then-Provincial Party Secretary Zhang Dejiang to lead the Zhejiang Daily Press Group, and later became the province’s Propaganda Department head. Zhang Dejiang also ensured Chen’s promotion to the Provincial Standing Committee before leaving Zhejiang. Chen continued to be favored during Xi Jinping's tenure as Zhejiang’s Party Secretary.

In July 2017, Xi Jinping appointed Chen Miner to replace the ousted Sun Zhengcai as the Party Secretary of Chongqing, a position previously held by Bo Xilai. At the 19th Party Congress in October of the same year, Chen Miner, then 57, entered the Politburo, becoming a vice-national-level leader. Speculation about him being Xi’s next successor began to spread.

Before the 20th Party Congress, Chen Miner was seen as a strong candidate to join the Politburo Standing Committee. However, he was instead transferred laterally to Tianjin, which many viewed as a sign of his decline in influence. Additionally, the fall of several of his former subordinates, including former Guizhou Vice Governor Li Zaiyong, led to further speculation that Chen Miner might face further challenges.

Editor: Li Renhe