Shi Yongxin's High-Profile Speech at the UN Climate Conference: A Reflection of Xi Jinping's Waning Power?

On September 22, 2023, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family toured Lingyin Temple. (Video Screenshot)

People News – According to Chinese media outlet The Paper, on November 15, during the "Faith Pavilion" at the UN Climate Conference held in Baku, Azerbaijan, Shi Yongxin, the abbot of the Shaolin Temple, delivered a speech. He called for everyone to address the challenges of climate change by starting with themselves. Shi asserted, “The essence of the climate crisis is a crisis of the human heart—an unchecked expansion of human desires leading to self-destruction.” While the statement itself isn’t flawed, coming from a so-called monk mired in corruption and scandal, it carries a sense of irony.

No wonder netizens have left comments such as: “Shi Boss, lose some weight; it’ll reduce carbon emissions,” “Ridiculous, a businessman in Buddhist robes lecturing on climate issues,” “China’s most flamboyant monk has made it to the international stage—what grandeur,” “Chairman Shi, long time no see,” “Clearly backed by influential forces,” “Reducing emissions starts with me; temples should stop burning incense,” “Running businesses, trading stocks, dealing in real estate—this abbot is extraordinary,” “How about starting by selling your Maybach? That’s too polluting,” and “This guy is incredible. Despite all the exposés of his scandals a few years ago, he managed to stay unscathed.”

Indeed, nearly a decade ago, Chinese media extensively reported on Shi Yongxin's numerous scandals. These included commercializing the Shaolin Temple, accusations of holding dual citizenship, keeping multiple mistresses, and allegedly fathering a child with a nun. In July 2015, an insider at the Shaolin Temple, under the pseudonym “Shi Zhengyi,” published an article online titled Who Will Supervise the Tiger Shi Yongxin, Abbot of the Shaolin Temple?. The exposé accused Shi of owning luxury cars worth millions of yuan, transferring shares of Shaolin Temple-related companies to his mistresses, and more.

Although Shi faced investigations and even restrictions on leaving the country to prevent potential flight, the outcomes were inconclusive. Analysts believe Shi's major backer was Li Changchun, a former Politburo Standing Committee member who once governed Henan Province. Li had openly expressed strong support for the Shaolin Temple, frequently visiting and directly involving himself in its affairs. Under such protection—or perhaps because a figure like Shi aligns with the Communist Party’s needs—Shi emerged unscathed but remained low-profile for years. Now, his sudden high-profile appearance at the UN Climate Conference raises questions. Why did he not attend last year’s conference?

According to records, the Faith Pavilion at the UN Climate Conference was inaugurated in December last year in Dubai. Pope Francis sent a video message for the occasion, emphasizing that its establishment demonstrated a collective willingness to act together. He invited representatives of all religions to lead by example and show that change is possible.

This implies that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) likely received an invitation last year but did not send any religious representatives. Instead, Taiwanese monks participated. Why, then, has the CCP chosen to send its "official monk," Shi Yongxin, this year?

The author speculates that this move serves two purposes: first, to assert dominance in the discourse and prevent Taiwanese monks from representing Buddhist communities under CCP rule; and second, Shi Yongxin’s selection, despite his low profile and alleged restrictions, may reflect Xi Jinping's weakening power following the Third Plenum.

During the Third Plenum in July, rumors of Xi's severe illness circulated widely. Subsequently, the CCP displayed a series of anomalies, including high-ranking officials and state media omitting mentions of “Xi Jinping Thought” and phrases like the “Two Establishes” and “Two Safeguards.” Instead, they emphasized the Party Central Committee’s collective leadership. Xi missed several key military meetings, the Shanghai Expo he initiated, and even failed to send congratulatory messages. At the National Day banquet, retired Party elders appeared prominently, with Wen Jiabao and Li Ruihuan seated on either side of Xi’s associates. Additionally, Wang Qishan resurfaced, replacing Zhu Rongji as the honorary chairman of Tsinghua University's advisory committee on economics and management.

These signs indicate that Xi’s position as the "supreme leader" has eroded, with his control over the military and Party diminished. Party elders, including Li Changchun from the Jiang Zemin faction, appear to have re-entered the political arena. This may explain why Shi Yongxin, undeterred by his tarnished reputation, felt emboldened to stage a performance at the UN, signaling to the outside world that Li Changchun still holds influence and Xi’s authority has indeed weakened.

One further indication of Shi Yongxin’s inauthenticity as a monk lies in his speech. Referring to the catastrophic rainfall in the Songshan region, home to the Shaolin Temple, in July 2021, he stated that a year’s worth of rain fell in just three days, causing unprecedented flooding. Shi attributed the disaster to “the deviation of human values and improper behavior.” According to Buddhist teachings on karma, could this unprecedented rainfall not also be a consequence of Shi’s corruption of Buddhist principles, leading to societal moral decay? Clearly, Shi Yongxin, unwilling to admit this, is nothing more than a charlatan in monk’s robes. △

(First published by People News)