Caption: On October 13, 2022, ahead of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, security personnel were stationed along the road leading to Tiananmen Square. (NOEL CELIS/AFP via Getty Images)
[People News] According to the "Shanghai Release" WeChat public account on January 17, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) approved the following personnel changes: Chen Lianbing has been appointed as a member and Standing Committee member of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, while Hu Shijun has been removed from his positions as a member and Standing Committee member of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee. Chen Lianbing is the current commander of the Shanghai Armed Police Corps, and Hu Shijun, who stepped down, was the political commissar of the Shanghai Armed Police Corps.
In line with CCP convention, the standing committees of provincial (or directly governed municipal) Party committees usually include a senior officer (political commissar or commander) from the provincial military district, commonly referred to as a "military-uniformed Standing Committee member." The provincial military district system plays a crucial role. As noted by the CCP's National Defense Report, "The provincial military district system serves as an emergency and combat command center, a military department for local Party committees, a construction department for reserve forces, a conscription office for governments at the same level, and a coordination office for military-civil integration. Military Standing Committee members, as military representatives delegated to local Party committees, are on the frontline of military-civil liaison and coordination, holding a unique and critical position, role, and mission in a specialized operating environment." Naturally, the commander or political commissar who concurrently serves as a local Standing Committee member holds even greater importance, especially in a place like Shanghai.
Chen Lianbing hails from Nantong, Jiangsu Province, and has long served in the Armed Police Forces. In 2020, he became the deputy commander of the Xinjiang Armed Police Corps and was transferred the following year to serve as the commander of the Hainan Provincial Armed Police Corps. In 2023, Chen Lianbing left the Armed Police Forces to take up the position of commander of the Inner Mongolia Military District. Chen was appointed as the commander of the Shanghai Armed Police Corps (Shanghai Garrison District) no later than August of last year. Local Shanghai news reports indicate that on August 7, 2023, the delegation from Jiading District, Shanghai, visited the Shanghai Garrison District. During the visit, Chen Lianbing, as the commander and major general of the Shanghai Garrison District, along with Major General Political Commissar Hu Shijun, received the delegation and participated in discussions.Given Chen Lianbing's extensive service as a senior officer in border divisions of the Armed Police Forces, it appears he does not belong to Xi Jinping's core faction.
After the Third Plenary Session of July 2023, rumors of Xi Jinping's serious illness began circulating. Following this, the Chinese military and high-level CCP leadership exhibited frequent anomalies, with numerous signs suggesting that Zhang Youxia, the first vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, had taken control of the military. This development indicated a potential loss of Xi's grip on military authority. Against this backdrop, Chen Lianbing's appointment as the commander of the Shanghai Armed Police Corps during such a sensitive period raises questions, particularly since his predecessor, Chen Yuan, has been missing without explanation.
On October 27, 2023, former Premier Li Keqiang suddenly died in Shanghai under circumstances that sparked widespread suspicion. Many irregularities suggested the possibility that Li had been "eliminated." A few days later, former mainland journalist Zhao Lanjian claimed to have received insider information alleging that Li was "poisoned to death," with the perpetrators reportedly being members of the Shanghai Armed Police. According to Zhao, the orchestrator was none other than Chen Yuan, then-commander of the Shanghai Armed Police Corps. The revelations also highlighted that Chen Yuan and He Weidong, Xi’s trusted ally and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, hailed from the same hometown of Dongtai, Jiangsu. Chen Yuan had been promoted from Jiangsu and Guangxi to Shanghai, likely through He Weidong’s influence. Zhao's account appeared to imply Xi Jinping's involvement in the incident. However, this claim has been met with skepticism by some analysts.
Another anomaly occurred during Xi Jinping’s visit to Shanghai from November 28 to 29, 2023. On November 29, Xi inspected the East China Sea Command of the Armed Police Coast Guard Corps. Footage aired by CCTV showed the presence of key military officials, including He Weidong, Lin Xiangyang (commander of the Eastern Theater Command), Liu Qingsong (political commissar of the Eastern Theater Command), Wang Chunning (commander of the Armed Police Force), and Zhang Hongbing (political commissar of the Armed Police Force). However, notable absentees included Chen Yuan and other senior officials of the Shanghai Armed Police Corps. Why were they absent? Was it to avoid sparking speculation?
The mystery deepened further in October 2024. Despite Chen Lianbing having been officially introduced as the new commander of the Shanghai Armed Police Corps in August 2023, Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper reported just before the opening of the 7th China International Import Expo that Chen Yuan, along with Zhu Zhongming (Shanghai's Political and Legal Affairs Commission Secretary) and Zhang Yahong (Director of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau), had participated in related inspections.
This suggests that after Xi's illness, Zhang Youxia and the veteran CCP leaders backing him likely engaged in a power struggle with He Weidong. One manifestation of this conflict may have been the replacement of Chen Yuan with Chen Lianbing. However, Chen Yuan's delayed departure after Chen Lianbing's appointment implies some level of resistance or ongoing struggle.
As we enter 2025, Chen Lianbing’s concurrent role as a member of the Shanghai Municipal Standing Committee solidifies his position as the commander of the Shanghai Armed Police Corps. Meanwhile, Chen Yuan’s current whereabouts remain unknown. If his backing was indeed He Weidong, it is likely his political career has ended.
Regarding Hu Shijun’s removal as a Standing Committee member: Born in November 1965, Hu is not yet of retirement age. Previously, he served as the political commissar of the Shantou Garrison District, director of the Political Department of the 42nd Army in the Southern Theater Command, director of the Political Work Department of the 75th Army, and director of the Political Work Department of the Tibet Military District. In April 2023, he was transferred to serve as a Standing Committee member of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and political commissar of the Shanghai Armed Police Corps, working alongside Chen Yuan.
It remains unclear whether Hu Shijun was privy to the truth about Li Keqiang’s sudden death in Shanghai. However, stepping down from the Standing Committee does not necessarily mean he has been dismissed. Unless something emerges publicly, he may serve as political commissar until retiring at the end of the year.
(Originally published by People News)
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