Commentary: 21st Anniversary of the Nine Commentaries, 455 Million Chinese People Withdraw from the Party

(Global Service Centre for Quitting the Party Production)

[People News] In November, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution titled 'Denouncing Socialism,' which emphasises the need for vigilance against the communism that lurks behind socialism.

In Beijing, officials continue to assert that 'socialism has institutional superiority.' Meanwhile, in Washington, Congress has recently passed a resolution named 'Denouncing the Horrors of Socialism,' which explicitly names figures such as Lenin, Stalin, Mao Zedong, Castro, Pol Pot, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un, Chavez, and Maduro as 'followers of the socialist ideology.' They are accused of perpetrating some of the gravest crimes in human history, leading to over 100 million unnatural deaths.

Outside of China, another significant statistic is gradually but consistently increasing: according to the Global Service Centre for Quitting the Party, by autumn 2025, the total number of individuals who have declared their withdrawal from the Chinese Communist Party, Youth League, and Young Pioneers through its website has exceeded 450 million. This spiritual movement, which began with the 'Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party' and has persisted for 21 years, is remarkable in modern political history for its unprecedented scale and duration.

Twenty-one years ago, Dajiyuan published a series of editorials titled "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" in November 2004, which systematically deconstructed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime from various angles, including history, violence, deception, and party culture. Now, as the U.S. House of Representatives states in a resolution that "socialism repeatedly leads to famine and mass slaughter," it appears that a long process of "cognitive alignment" between Washington and the Chinese public is taking place.

An Editorial Sparks a "Spiritual Resignation"

In China, joining the CCP, the Communist Youth League, and the Young Pioneers is almost a "standard life resume" for many individuals: progressing from the Young Pioneers to the Communist Youth League, and then to party membership, all while participating in repeated oaths—"to dedicate life to the Party." For a long time, this was regarded as politically correct and even a stepping stone for one's career, with very few questioning the ethics and consequences behind these oaths.

The "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" reconstructs the history of the CCP's rise using extensive historical materials, revealing the ideological evil truth of its stance against heaven, against God, and against humanity; it is not just an ordinary political party. The accompanying "Solemn Declaration" that followed the "Nine Commentaries" more directly urged all who had participated in the Party, League, and Youth Pioneers to "quickly withdraw and erase the beast's mark."

To a large extent, withdrawing from the CCP, the League, and the Youth Pioneers (the "three withdrawals") serves as a counteraction to the "Party membership oath": since individuals have previously sworn allegiance in front of the Party or League flag, they must publicly declare their withdrawal with another statement.

Volunteers at the Tuìdǎng Fúwù Zhōngxīn (Withdrawal Service Center) pay special attention to the 'normativity' of the list: applications that contain garbled English letters or names that clearly do not resemble real names are excluded from the statistics; multiple submissions from the same individual will be removed; they stress that 'each name represents an awakened Chinese person,' rather than just a collection of data that can be randomly assembled.

This concept of 'soul politics' has little place in the official discourse of China, yet it is not unfamiliar within the context of traditional culture—ranging from 'the oath is spoken, and heaven and earth bear witness' to 'willpower determines fate,' the Chinese have long held the belief that significant choices can impact the trajectory of life on an unseen level.

The editorial team of Jiǔ Píng (Nine Commentaries) merges this cultural understanding with modern politics, creating a distinctive 'spiritual withdrawal process.'

Numbers and narratives: 4.55 billion over 21 years

Statistics from the global Tuìdǎng Zhōngxīn (Withdrawal Centre) indicate that over the past 21 years, more than 450 million individuals have withdrawn according to strict standards and have been registered; however, due to incomplete data or formatting issues, there may be several million or even tens of millions of statements that have been excluded. The methods for withdrawal have evolved from early paper forms, faxes, and phone calls to websites, encrypted tools, and social media platforms.

A volunteer network comprising several million individuals is actively 'persuading withdrawal' in various ways across mainland China and in many other countries and regions worldwide.

The data trends reveal a significant correlation with domestic events in China. A review of the 'three withdrawals' by party volunteers shows that the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Chinese Communist Party's cover-up of the death toll, and the extreme zero-COVID policy led to a notable peak in the 'three withdrawals.' In the subsequent years, issues such as rising unemployment, the real estate crisis, extensive social security reforms, local financial collapses, and the recent public uproar over the death of actor Yu Menglong have all left their mark in the comment sections—

Some individuals wrote: 'The zero-COVID policy has driven me to the edge; it was only then that I realised what this party truly represents.'

Others remarked: 'Seeing Yu Menglong die like that makes me feel it will be too late if I don’t withdraw now.'

While the early 'three withdrawals' were largely influenced by the active persuasion of the 'Nine Commentaries' and the Falun Gong community, the proportion of spontaneous awakenings in recent applications is increasing: the public is no longer passively waiting for 'others to call and reveal the truth,' but is actively seeking out withdrawal websites. In a highly controlled internet and censorship environment, this indicates an 'internal explosion' resulting from the accumulation of public pressure and life experiences.

Washington's Shift: From 'Human Rights Issues' to 'Security Issues'

For a long time, the West has typically framed religious freedom and human rights as 'moral issues' in its dealings with China: leaders would 'express concern' in joint statements, but this rarely affected the broader context. Recently, however, there are signs that this dynamic is beginning to change.

In November 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.Con.Res 58, titled "Condemning the Atrocities of Socialism." The resolution asserts that "the socialist ideology inevitably requires a concentration of power, which repeatedly devolves into communist regimes, totalitarian rule, and brutal dictatorship," specifically referencing the famine caused by China's "Great Leap Forward," which resulted in an estimated 15 million to 55 million deaths from starvation. The resolution concludes by stating that the United States "condemns all forms of socialism" and "opposes the implementation of any socialist policies in the United States." 

While this resolution is not legally binding, it holds significant symbolic importance: amidst a deeply polarised Congress, lawmakers managed to reach a rare consensus regarding the "historical disasters brought by communism," which stands in stark contrast to Beijing's ongoing claims of "institutional confidence." 

Around the same time, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) conducted a hearing titled "The CCP's War on Religion: The Threat to Religious Freedom and Why It Matters to America." Former U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, in his testimony, called for the U.S. to recognise the CCP's repression of religious beliefs (particularly the persecution of Falun Gong) as "genocide" and to elevate the issue of religious freedom in China as a national security concern. 

He stressed that what the CCP truly fears is not U.S. aircraft carriers or nuclear weapons, but rather "religious freedom"—because if a significant number of Chinese people regain independent faith, the party-state's ideological monopoly will be undermined. 

Religious Persecution and the "Political Prisoner Database"

The CECC's 'Political Prisoner Database' has been documenting individuals detained in China for their speech, beliefs, or activities defending rights for a long time. As of mid-2023, the database has recorded around 2,600 detainee cases, with nearly 460 confirmed as practitioners of Falun Gong. This indicates that Falun Gong constitutes a notably high percentage among known political or conscience prisoners.

Similar observations have been made by other national agencies and human rights organisations: a country report from the UK Home Office in 2025 highlighted that Falun Gong practitioners continue to face harassment, arbitrary detention, and lengthy prison sentences. Detainees typically endure physical and psychological torture, along with allegations of large-scale organ harvesting, despite repeated denials from Beijing.

During this hearing, Brownback publicly mentioned the 'Three Withdrawals Movement' for the first time in a formal congressional context, commending the efforts of Falun Gong practitioners in encouraging hundreds of millions of Chinese individuals to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organisations. He regarded this as one of the key forces in undermining the CCP's totalitarian regime. This effectively reframes a grassroots movement that the CCP has long labelled as 'X cult' and 'hostile forces' as part of the 'global anti-totalitarian' movement, situating it within the context of national security and global value competition.

The Three Withdrawals as 'Civilizational Alignment': Symbolism and Reality

Critics might question: within the confines of the Great Firewall, what real political impact does it have when someone declares their withdrawal from the Party on an overseas website under a pseudonym like 'Xiao Ming' or 'Conscientious Chinese'? After all, the CCP regime does not acknowledge such withdrawal procedures, and the Party member files remain locked away in the obscure cabinets of the Organisation Department.

However, the impact of 'symbolic actions' in political history is often underestimated. For many who have withdrawn from the Party, the moment they hit the 'submit' button marks a significant break from their inner fears and a severance from the system:

Some have openly expressed in comments, 'I can't say this at my workplace, but at least here, I can acknowledge that the CCP is evil.'

Others have written, 'Regardless of how China may turn out in the future, at least in the eyes of history, I no longer consider myself part of it (the CCP).'

This type of 'spiritual withdrawal' may not immediately lead to street protests, but it could play a crucial role at some future tipping point—such as during an economic collapse, a political crisis, or the emergence of a major scandal—when ordinary people must decide whether to 'defend the system,' 'remain passive,' or 'shift their allegiance.' In this sense, the three withdrawals act as a form of social engineering that 'plants seeds' for future political restructuring.

Beijing's anxiety: from 'the people cannot survive' to 'the officials cannot survive'

According to the official narrative from the CCP, the economy continues to grow at 'around 5%', society is 'generally stable,' and the people's 'satisfaction with the Party and government is very high.' However, fragmented information from social media and leaked internal communications reveals a different reality.

Local officials have described in anonymous letters that selective anti-corruption efforts have fostered a climate of fear within the bureaucracy: 'Today it’s him, will it be my turn tomorrow?' Some grassroots officials candidly admit that they have lost interest in addressing specific livelihood issues, focusing instead on 'not making political mistakes' and 'not aligning with the wrong side.' In such an environment, administrative efficiency and public services are naturally deteriorating.

For the upper echelons, the pressure is equally intense: an economic slowdown, soaring real estate debt, youth unemployment, the withdrawal of foreign capital, and deteriorating foreign relations all contribute to an unprecedented internal and external crisis.

From the perspective of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the 'Three Withdrawals Movement' might seem like just a series of unappealing numbers online; however, when viewed alongside these structural crises, it is hard to ignore the implication that the regime's legitimacy is quietly diminishing.

Trump and 'Anti-Communism': An Ideological War Without Dogma

Interestingly, one of the key figures pushing Washington to 'reassess the threat of communism' is none other than a president often described as 'not particularly concerned with ideological nuances'—Donald Trump.

In his inaugural speech at the United Nations General Assembly in 2017, he specifically criticised 'socialist countries' like Venezuela for dragging once-prosperous nations into poverty and collapse. Later, addressing the Venezuelan community, he boldly stated: 'In the Western Hemisphere, socialism is coming to an end.' Such remarks are undoubtedly jarring to the Western left, which has long regarded 'socialism' as part of the politically correct lexicon.

By 2025, the White House announced the creation of 'Anti-Communism Week' to honour the victims who perished under communist regimes worldwide, and frequently labelled extreme leftist judges and officials in domestic politics as 'communist radical leftists,' warning that they 'seek to undermine the American system through the judiciary and bureaucratic channels.'

In the years since the Cold War ended, when anti-communist rhetoric was often seen as outdated and even 'politically incorrect', a high-profile resurgence of 'anti-communism' has re-entered public discourse. For international organisations, academia, and the business sector that have been deeply infiltrated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), this signals a 'wake-up call'.

The New Frontline of Global Anti-Communism

Regardless of how Beijing presents the 'Chinese model', there is a striking resemblance between it and the 'socialist practices' described in U.S. Congressional resolutions: a high concentration of power, a one-party monopoly, and systematic suppression of dissent and belief. The dangers posed by this regime are increasingly recognised not just as internal issues for China, but as part of the broader discussions on 'global security'.

From this viewpoint, the ongoing reading, sharing, and citation of 'Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party' 21 years later is not a coincidence. From the outset, it aimed to elevate the issue of the CCP from mere 'regime change' to a 'civilizational choice', framing the act of Chinese individuals withdrawing from the Party as a profound decision about their soul and destiny.

Today, as the U.S. House of Representatives formally condemns socialism and the communist tyranny behind it through a resolution, and as a former ambassador for religious freedom openly declares during a congressional hearing that the 'three withdrawals' movement is 'one of the forces the CCP fears the most', this movement, which once appeared marginal, is being reintegrated into international politics and the competition of global values.

For the Chinese populace, pressing the 'three withdrawals confirmation' button may only take a few seconds; however, for this still-struggling massive regime, each small act of internal departure represents a slight erosion of its legitimacy.

The 450 million withdrawals from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) represent countless individual stories. In the future, when China genuinely confronts a pivotal change in its political system, these citizens—who have already distanced themselves from the CCP on a spiritual level—will emerge as a crucial force in shaping the country's direction. This aligns with the prophecy articulated in the 'Nine Commentaries' 21 years ago, which is only now starting to manifest in history.

(Adapted from Dajiyuan)△