Xinhua Reports Show Major Anomalies: Are CCP Elders Pulling the Strings?

The Second-Generation Red Nobility Stages a Coup, Xi is Panicked. (People News Illustration)

[People News] Many have likely noticed that in recent days, news about CCP leader Xi Jinping's visits to Peru and Brazil and his participation in the APEC summit has dominated all CCP state media outlets. This might create the impression for outside observers that Xi Jinping still holds power, and that previous indications of him losing military control or parts of his internal party authority were merely overblown speculation.

Is this really the case? Two anomalies observed on Xinhua News during Xi Jinping's overseas visit actually indicate that a certain faction within the CCP is continuing to expand its power and further weaken Xi’s position.

The first anomaly is that Xinhua did not report a piece of news about Li Xi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

On November 20, Li Xi attended and delivered a speech at a symposium on advancing village inspection work. In his speech, he emphasized adherence to "Xi Jinping Thought" as guidance, firmly supporting the "Two Establishes" and resolutely implementing the "Two Safeguards," with his words reflecting loyalty to the party leader.

However, this news, which should have been featured on Xinhua on the 20th, was not published—not even on the 21st on Xinhua or People's Daily. Instead, it was only posted on the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection's website following other news about Xi Jinping. The omission of news about a Politburo Standing Committee member’s activities is highly unusual. In contrast, when Li Xi visited Italy, Kenya, and South Africa in late October, Xinhua not only provided advance notice but also offered continuous coverage.

Furthermore, while Xinhua did not report on Li Xi’s news, on the 20th, it did cover activities of three other senior officials: one was Politburo Standing Committee member and Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, who attended the opening ceremony of the 2024 World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang, and delivered a keynote speech; another was State Councilor Wang Xiaohong, whose rank is lower than Li Xi's, visiting Liaoning for a research trip; and the third was Vice Premier Liu Guozhong attending a conference in Mianyang, Sichuan.

Why would Xinhua omit news about a Standing Committee member but report on the activities of lower-ranking officials? What could be the reason behind this?

Perhaps an article published by Xinhua on November 21 provides a clue. The article, titled “Ying Yong: Fully Leverage the Functions of Criminal Prosecution to Punish and Prevent Crimes in Accordance with the Law,” reported on a speech by Ying Yong, the Procurator-General of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, at a national conference on criminal prosecution held in Fuzhou. Ying emphasized the role of criminal prosecution in supporting “Chinese-style modernization through robust legal guarantees,” specifically mentioning supervision over criminal case filings, investigations, trials, penalty enforcement, and the activities of prisons and detention centers. Notably, the report omitted any mention of Xi Jinping’s name or loyalty to him.

However, a more detailed account on the Supreme Procuratorate’s website revealed additional context. The meeting was held on November 20, and it included a speech by Ying Yong and opening remarks by Zhou Zuyi, Secretary of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee. The official account emphasized “thorough study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law,” and referenced the CCP’s 20th National Congress and Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee. Ying’s speech mentioned “establishing” and “safeguarding,” while Zhou included phrases such as “keeping Xi’s instructions in mind.”

The question arises: why did Xinhua exclude the parts of Ying’s speech that referred to Xi Jinping, including terms like “establishing” and “safeguarding”? And is this omission related to the lack of coverage of Li Xi’s activities?

The author speculates that Xinhua likely received instructions not to report Li Xi’s statements of loyalty to Xi. Editing or omitting such remarks could have consequences, leading to the decision to ignore the news about Li Xi’s participation in the symposium altogether. This suggests that after Cai Qi accompanied Xi Jinping on his foreign trip, his influence over media control may have weakened, and a new power may be steering Xinhua and People’s Daily.

Looking at recent news about the CCP leadership over the past three days, this speculation seems quite plausible.

On November 20, Ding Xuexiang, at the opening ceremony of the Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, only mentioned in passing that "Xi Jinping delivered a congratulatory video message."

On November 18, Li Qiang visited and reviewed the China Construction Science and Technology Exhibition. He merely stated, “We must deeply implement Xi Jinping’s important instructions on housing and urban development,” without including the usual phrases of loyalty. That same day, Wang Huning attended the first council meeting of the sixth session of the China Overseas Friendship Association, where he said guidance should be based on "Xi Jinping Thought," but did not go further.

From November 18 to 19, Wang Xiaohong visited Liaoning to inspect efforts on resolving disputes and maintaining social stability. He only mentioned “studying and implementing Xi Jinping’s important instructions.” Liu Guozhong made similar statements.

It is evident that CCP senior officials may have received a directive to reference Xi’s statements and call for implementing his instructions, but to tone down phrases like "Xi Jinping Thought," "establishing," and "safeguarding." Judging by the reactions of senior officials, Xi's trusted confidants Li Xi and Cai Qi have not yet complied, while three-term opportunist Wang Huning has shown restraint, and other officials have already adjusted to the new directive, clearly signaling waning loyalty to Xi. This indicates that significant shifts may indeed be occurring within the CCP.

So, who issued this directive? Since reports of Xi Jinping’s illness surfaced at the July Third Plenum, the CCP has repeatedly emphasized the need to "adhere to the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee." Moreover, CCP elders have increasingly appeared in public. Notably, at the National Day reception on October 1, Xi was flanked by former Politburo Standing Committee members Wen Jiabao and Li Ruihuan—a strikingly unusual occurrence, given Xi’s prior restrictions on party elders and the public removal of Hu Jintao.

Does this suggest that the real powerbrokers in the current CCP political landscape are these behind-the-scenes elders? Otherwise, the widespread actions to dilute Xi’s authority and status would be hard to explain. Xi’s prominence in state media could also be a façade orchestrated by the elders to obscure the internal reshuffling and purges taking place within the CCP. 

(First published in People News)