Party Leader’s Visit to Hubei: Cai Qi’s Absence Again, Odd Coverage by State Media

Comments from Guangdong netizens pointed out that every time a disaster occurs in China, Xi Jinping is quick to set out—but the destination is never the disaster area. Instead, he chooses a place with clear skies and pleasant weather to inspect, "always staying far from the disaster zone." (Screenshot from X platform)

[People News] — On the afternoon of November 5, around 4 p.m., the CCP's state media outlets Xinhua and People's Daily released a report titled "Xi Jinping Inspects Hubei." The report detailed that on the afternoon of the 4th and the morning of the 5th, Xi Jinping visited sites in Xiaogan and Xianning, including the Yunmeng County Museum, a vegetable corridor in Panjiawan Township, Jiayu County, and Siyichun Village to learn about cultural preservation, rural revitalization, and other matters. The article was accompanied by a series of photos.

From the photos, it’s apparent that Cai Qi, a key ally of Xi and a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee, was not by his side; instead, Vice Premier He Lifeng accompanied Xi. This is the second recent occasion where Cai has not joined Xi on a trip. The first absence was from October 15 to 16, when Xi visited Zhangzhou and Xiamen, also accompanied by He Lifeng. Why is Cai absent?

Epoch Times commentator Zhou Xiaohui noted in a previous article that the Director of the Central Office is typically the closest aide to the top leader, often accompanying them on both domestic and international visits. This close relationship is such that when a leader changes, the Central Office Director usually changes as well. Zhou questioned, “Is Cai Qi’s absence due to ‘inability’ or some other reason?” Could Cai’s powers have been restricted?

In addition to Cai Qi’s absence, there were also peculiarities in the CCTV coverage of Xi’s Hubei visit. In the 7 p.m. news broadcast on November 5, CCTV reported on Xi’s visit to the airborne troops rather than his Hubei tour, with Central Military Commission Vice Chairman He Weidong accompanying him.

According to the report, Xi inspected the airborne troops on the 4th, emphasizing the importance of “implementing the new era’s military strategic policies and building a strong, modern airborne force.” This wording mirrored the statements made during his inspection of a rocket unit in Anhui in October. Notably, the Anhui report included a reference to “Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military,” but there was no mention of “Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military” in the report on the airborne troops.

Why didn’t CCTV cover Xi’s Hubei inspection like Xinhua and People’s Daily, or why couldn’t both stories be reported simultaneously?

Clearly, reports of Xi’s military inspections can only come from military media journalists. After military media provided the report to CCTV, Xinhua, People’s Daily, and PLA Daily published it online. PLA Daily made this story its top headline, with “Xi Jinping Inspects Hubei” in a secondary position; Xinhua and People’s Daily did the opposite. The prominence given by PLA Daily to the military inspection may be intended to convey specific information, such as the absence of “Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military.”

Placing Xi’s military inspection as the headline on the evening news may also have been an attempt to downplay the embarrassment of his absence from the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai on the 5th. Since Xi himself conceived, proposed, planned, and promoted the CIIE, he has personally attended the opening ceremony in person or via video five times across the previous six expos, only sending a congratulatory letter last year.

Surprisingly, Xi did not attend this year’s CIIE opening ceremony, and Li Qiang, who delivered the opening speech, made no mention of any message from Xi. This apparent detachment from the CIIE is unusual and suggests a potential shift in priorities.

In another unusual move, state media refrained from reporting on Li Qiang’s speech at the CIIE for nearly ten hours after it was delivered, only releasing it on their websites after the 7 p.m. CCTV broadcast.

This not only indicates intense power struggles within the upper ranks of the CCP but also suggests that Xi has already lost some of his authority. However, it seems he is not willing to accept this fully and is still attempting to project his “supreme” status outward. Unfortunately, he may lack the necessary power to do so.

(Originally published by People News)