Cai Qi's Role Shift: Secretaries Must Now Follow New Central Orders

The picture shows Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, attending the National People's Congress on March 12, 2023. (Screenshot from the web)

[People News] According to reports from Chinese state media, on April 24, the National Party and Government Secretaries-General Conference was held in Beijing. Cai Qi, a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee and Director of the General Office of the CCP Central Committee, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Wu Zhenglong, State Councillor and Secretary-General of the State Council, gave the concluding remarks.

Records show that the CCP Central Committee has convened National Party Committee Secretaries-General Conferences several times before, and the State Council has also held National Government Secretaries-General and General Office Directors Conferences on multiple occasions. Since the 18th Party Congress, such Party Committee Secretaries-General Conferences were held in September 2013, October 2014, August 2016, and October 2018, each lasting two days. Government Secretaries-General and General Office Directors Conferences were held in December 2019, December 2020, December 2021, and January 2023.

The first time the two conferences were merged into one was in September 2023, specifically from September 13 to 14. This also marked the first Party-Government Secretaries-General Conference after the 20th Party Congress, when Xi Jinping secured his third term and appeared to have reached the peak of his power. Prior to that meeting, Xi issued important instructions regarding the work of the General Offices in the "New Era," which were conveyed at the meeting by Cai Qi.

Xi Jinping emphasised that "Party and government General Offices occupy a particularly important position in the Party and state governance system and shoulder critical responsibilities." He praised the work of General Offices since the 19th Party Congress and set forth new demands, including "raising political standing, strengthening political responsibility, enhancing political competence, and implementing political accountability," with "raising political standing" being especially emphasised.

The so-called "raising political standing" essentially means showing loyal support for the Xi-led Central Committee. As early as May 8, 2014, during an inspection of the CCP Central Committee’s General Office (Central Office), Xi demanded the "Five Adherences" for the office's work, including maintaining "absolute political loyalty." At the time, Xi said, "There are a thousand or ten thousand ways to evaluate the work of the Central Office, but ultimately, it comes down to this one measure."

In other words, Xi’s demand for loyalty from the Central Office is now being extended to all Party and government secretaries-general. This is likely the core of Xi’s recent instructions before the meeting, aiming to further consolidate his own power. Beyond loyalty, Xi also demanded that secretaries-general improve their political ability "to better play the important role of assisting Party committees and governments."

As one of Xi’s close allies, Cai Qi delivered an obsequious speech after conveying Xi’s instructions. At the time, state media reported that Xi’s instructions "carried strong political, guiding, and targeted significance," providing "fundamental guidance" for the work of General Offices in the new era, requiring "deep learning, thorough understanding, and serious implementation." They also stressed the need to deeply grasp the "Two Establishments" and take the lead in achieving the "Two Safeguards."

Undoubtedly, Xi’s directives for General Office work became a "tightening curse" placed on Party and government secretaries-general. Whether these secretaries-general genuinely meet the demands or merely pay lip service remains unknown.

Based on previous frequencies, the Party Committee Secretaries-General Conferences were usually held every two years, and the Government Secretaries-General Conferences annually. Since the first combined meeting in September 2023, the second combined conference was held after a gap of one year and seven months, roughly the middle ground. Whether this timing will become the norm remains to be seen.

As for Cai Qi and Wu Zhenglong attending the conference, it was simply a routine move, not evidence of "infighting" among Xi’s faction. Otherwise, one would have to claim they began infighting back in September 2023, long before any rumours of Xi’s illness surfaced.

Then what was the purpose of convening this Party-Government Secretaries-General Conference? The author believes it could very well be connected to the rumours of Xi suffering a stroke around the time of the postponed Third Plenum in July last year. Following a series of internal changes at the top of the CCP, new demands have now been placed on Party and government secretaries-general.

Beyond the usual state media platitudes — such as "guided by Xi Jinping Thought," "learning and implementing Xi’s instructions," and "comprehending the Two Establishments and Safeguards" — the report indeed mentioned this: "Accurately grasp the new situations, new tasks, and new requirements facing General Office work." Following that, two particularly noteworthy demands were listed: 1. "Resolutely safeguard the authority and centralised, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee." 2. "Implement the reporting system for major matters and further strengthen political oversight."

Compared with the 2023 instructions from Xi, emphasising loyalty and political standing, and Cai Qi’s previous calls to "implement Xi’s important speeches and instructions into all aspects of General Office work," this shift is quite apparent.
Now, Cai Qi can no longer command the secretaries-general to pledge loyalty solely to Xi.

Many analysts have pointed out that since the Third Plenum in July last year, signs that Xi has lost control of the military and that his power within the Party is being weakened have become increasingly obvious. A new "Party Central Committee," controlled by CCP elders, is emerging to replace the once singular "Xi Central Committee." Careful observation shows that since July, the CCP military’s newspaper and other official media have been consistently promoting "collective leadership" — even Xi himself has had to emphasise it on some public occasions. From 2025 onward, the CCP’s top political principle has been clearly redefined as "upholding the Party Central Committee’s centralised and unified leadership," rather than the earlier formula of "resolutely achieving the Two Safeguards" (i.e., safeguarding Xi).

Thus, Cai Qi’s changed rhetoric reflects that, after Xi’s weakening, he himself is no longer speaking freely. At the Party-building meeting in March, Cai’s tone of praise for Xi noticeably dropped — another piece of evidence. Through Cai, the new Party Central Committee is sending a message to all Party and government secretaries-general: obey the new Party Central's instructions, implement the major matters reporting system, and do not act independently. This is likely the key reason why the Party-Government Secretaries-General Conference was convened during this extraordinary period.

(First published by People News)