The showdown between rival factions in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has become fiercer as the 18th Party Congress draws near, when a new leadership will be sworn in for another decade. Members loyal to former Party head Jiang Zemin are said to be fighting a desperate battle with the incumbent leaders and their plan for a measure of democracy inside the Party, in order to save themselves from being eliminated.
The Epoch Times has learned that Zeng Qinghong, former vice chairman of the CCP and longtime fixer for former Party head Jiang Zemin, sent a secret order to princeling faction members, the second-generation children of senior Party leaders, calling for unity in order to influence the leadership transition during the upcoming Congress.
‘Competitive Elections’
The Epoch Times reported previously that the presumed next CCP head Xi Jinping has advocated for a more competitive election process in the Politburo and its Standing Committee. This plan would aid members of the Communist Youth League faction, the power base of current Party leader Hu Jintao, giving them the absolute majority in the Central Committee, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency.
Former Party head Jiang Zemin’s faction would therefore be pushed to the brink of extinction, facing the loss of control over the Party’s top posts.
An article written by Gao Yu for Deutsche Welle also said that a more competitive election process will be implemented to eliminate more candidates for the Central Committee, Politburo, and Politburo Standing Committee during the 18th Party Congress.
The article stated that throughout the week-long Oct. 1 national holiday, Party Central had been holding meetings and inviting members of the Central Committee and Central Discipline Inspection Commission, as well as provincial and ministry-level officials, to take test votes.
The results were said to have been satisfactory to present leaders Hu and Wen and presumptive next leader Xi Jinping. This made it viable for them to expand the competitive election process at the 18th Congress.
Jiang Faction Responds
The Epoch Times has learned from a source that Zeng Qinghong has taken a countermeasure against the plan, to influence personnel selection in both political and military circles.
Zeng, who is also a princeling, sent a secret order in verbal inform to every delegate of the 18th Congress who are “second-generation reds,” urging them to unite and stir up conflict among Hu Jintao, premier Wen Jiabao, and Xi Jinping, and to fight for more seats in top Party posts.
Since the scandal broke in March related to former Chongqing Party head Bo Xilai, security czar Zhou Yongkang and Zeng have been using secret agents to collect potentially damaging information on top leaders including Hu Jintao, Xi Jinping, and Wen Jiabao, the source said.
The source also said that princelings, including general Liu Yuan, the son of the former head of the CCP Liu Shaoqi, and former Chairman of China International Trust and Investment Corporation Wang Jun, who is the son of former vice chairman of the Party Wang Zhen, have been called to secret meetings multiple times to discuss what to do with the negative information on top leaders, as well as how to expose the material to the media.
According to the source, some foreign media correspondents in China were invited to these meetings.
The source said that as it has become obvious that former Chongqing Party Secretary Bo Xilai is going to receive a harsh sentence and Zhou Yongkang is facing a bleak future, Zeng has therefore frequently resorted to taking desperate measures, according to the source.
Since members of Hu Jintao’s Youth League faction will take the majority of seats at the Central Committee in the upcoming Congress, if a competitive election plan is indeed implemented, the Youth League faction will take the upper hand and will dominate the Politburo Standing Committee.
Editor’s Note: When Chongqing’s former top cop, Wang Lijun, fled for his life to the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu on Feb. 6, he set in motion a political storm that has not subsided. The battle behind the scenes turns on what stance officials take toward the persecution of Falun Gong. The faction with bloody hands—the officials former CCP head Jiang Zemin promoted in order to carry out the persecution—is seeking to avoid accountability for their crimes and to continue the campaign. Other officials are refusing to participate in the persecution any longer. Events present a clear choice to the officials and citizens of China, as well as people around the world: either support or oppose the persecution of Falun Gong. History will record the choice each person makes.
Read the original Chinese article.
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