On Feb. 18, 2015, Epoch Times Hong Kong branch president Ms. Guo Jun gave a speech in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Keio Plaza hotel on the current affairs of China. She provided a detailed analysis of some key issues surrounding the great changes China is currently going through and their implications for Japanese and Hong Kong society.
Under the political background mentioned above, the increasingly fierce wrestling between the factions of current Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping and former CCP leader Jiang Zemin has become the key issue in China.
Jiang has been on the power stage for nearly 26 years since he first took office through the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square incident. During the Hu-Wen administration period, Jiang ruled from behind the veil through his supporters Zhou Yongkang, Zeng Qinghong, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, and some senior military groups.
The Jiang faction controlled China for more than 20 years, and his adherents are all over the Chinese economic sections.
After Wang Lijun, vice-mayor of Chongqing, fled to the U.S. Consulate, Bo Xilai, the Jiang faction’s power successor, was arrested. After the CCP’s 18th Congress, China’s highest level of power was reshuffled, and the Jiang faction began to lose control of the supreme power.
The battle between Xi’s authorities and Jiang’s faction is affecting every aspect of China and the international community. At the same time, the power reshuffles at the central and local levels have led to a large amount of wealth transfer and huge capital outflows.
The following are the most prominent aspects.
Hong Kong Is Center Stage
The Umbrella Movement for democracy in Hong Kong shocked the world, as the Hong Kong government fired tear gas at demonstrators and threatened to do further clearance operations. Hong Kong Chief Executive (CE) Leung Chun-ying has been intensifying the situation.
On Sept. 22 last year, 25 secondary schools and universities in Hong Kong held a five-day class boycott campaign protesting the National People’s Congress Standing Committee’s (NPCSC) decision to forbid universal suffrage in Hong Kong.
On Sept. 23, the Student Federation issued an open letter to Leung Chun-ying asking him to keep the promise he made during his CE election that he would listen to public opinion. The letter also asked him to come to Tamar Park to have a direct dialogue with the public and the students.
On Sept. 25, not only did Leung not show up, but he also participated in dialogue with the students who did not join the boycott. This is a tactic Leung learned from the CCP and used to incite people against each other, splitting and tearing Hong Kong apart.
Last June 10, the CCP State Council Information Office issued a white paper that altered Hong Kong’s one-country-two-systems policy. Hong Kong people were outraged.
The situation in Hong Kong has been deepened with student strikes and the public at an explosive point. On the surface, the situation in Hong Kong was caused by the CCP’s electoral reform, and Hong Kong people thought the motion passed by the NPCSC was an unconstitutional “fake election.”
However, the true reason behind it is the intensive battle between Xi’s authorities and Jiang’s group, with the persecution of Falun Gong being the core issue.
White Paper
610 is just an ordinary number. For the Jiang faction, however, it is a number and date that represents the persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual practice. The CCP’s group of agents specializing in the persecution is called the 610 Office, since it was formed on June 10, 1999.
The incident that led to the severe social unrest in Hong Kong was the white paper issued on June 10, 2014 by the State Council Information Office, which is under the control of Politburo Standing Committee member Liu Yunshan.
Liu has been regarded as a member of the Jiang faction. Issuing such an important document on June 10 indicated that the Jiang faction was not trying to be vague about this.
The Hong Kong Youth Care Association, a Hong Kong-based organization created to attack Falun Gong, was also deliberately set up on June 10.
The June 10 white paper brought 510,000 Hong Kong people into the streets to protest on July 1.
In Hong Kong, the Anti-Occupy Central parade organized by Jiang Zemin and Zeng Qinghong’s group was purposely held on Jiang’s birthday, Aug. 17. The Anti-Occupy Central parade also publicized the spy network of the Jiang faction in Hong Kong.
Zeng had controlled Hong Kong for many years. Almost all the spy agents turned out in full force, including Returned Overseas Chinese Associations, fellow provincial associations in Guangdong, Chaozhou, and Shenzhen, and other organizations.
The Jiang faction made it clear that it was fighting against Xi’s authorities on the Falun Gong issue. Before the Anti-Occupy Central parade, Jiang faction sent its people (members of a group calling itself Hongkongers Come First) to break into the barracks of the People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison. Later, members from the same group were spotted wearing T-shirts resembling Falun Gong practitioners at Falun Gong demonstration areas; they held banners with slogans that slandered Falun Gong; and used loudspeakers to harass the true practitioners at the site. The intention was suspected to create chaos and defame Falun Gong.
The Jiang faction unabashedly indicated to Xi that the reason behind these activities was the Falun Gong issue. This clearly shows the international community and the public that the current tension in Hong Kong is closely related to the persecution of Falun Gong.
Jiang is using Hong Kong as a bargaining chip to threaten the current authorities and send a clear signal to Xi: you have come to power now, but you have to continue Jiang’s policy of the persecution of Falun Gong.
On the Falun Gong issue, if the current authorities did not follow in Jiang’s footsteps, the Jiang faction would fight at all costs, including at the cost of ruining Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong issue is a product of the latest contest between Xi and Jiang. Prior to this, the Jiang faction created a series of incidents to tie up the current authorities with the Falun Gong issue.
The Xi faction’s counterattacks are also very clear. Their landmark action was sacking the head of the 610 Office, Li Dongsheng, on Dec. 20, 2013.
In China’s official media reports, Li’s official titles were listed as first the head of the 610 Office, then the deputy minister of the Public Security Department. Li had been in charge of the CCTV Focus program, which is the main program CCTV has used to slander Falun Gong.
The above information reflects the hidden fact that Li was sacked because of his involvement in the persecution of Falun Gong.
After the Jiang faction issued the White Paper with their version of one-country-two-systems, Xi’s authorities threw out Jiang’s supporter and national-level deputy official Su Rong accordingly.
Su Rong is internationally notorious for actively participating in the persecution of Falun Gong. He is one of the Jiang faction’s main representatives who have been sued internationally for the persecution.
Therefore, the Hong Kong electoral reform has become a part of the political combat of the CCP leadership. The Xi and Jiang factions are fighting fiercely and more publicly.
Then what is the fundamental reason behind the split-up of the CCP’s leadership? Why did the Jiang faction choose Hong Kong to mess up the game?
Real Information
It is extremely important to obtain real information about China.
Hong Kong is the paradise of free currency convertibility. Its economic market has more than 100 years of history under the British administration, and the sound legal and taxation systems have been in line with international practice.
Hong Kong is an international financial center, ranking high in the financial world. The territory’s important position enables it to be the link between mainland China and the rest of the world, while Hong Kong’s free market economy is the future model for the economic and political development of mainland China.
Since its sovereignty was transferred to China, Hong Kong has actually been under the control of Zeng Qinghong, the second most important member of the Jiang faction, for more than ten years. The Hu-Wen authorities governed for ten years but had no real control over Hong Kong and Macao.
The Jiang faction managed Hong Kong for many years, and the situation continues to this day. Now the Jiang faction is playing the Hong Kong card to disturb the situation.
Since Jiang’s regime came to power, they had never lost real control over the power of the CCP in China.
After the 16th Congress of the CCP, Zeng and Luo Gan wielded the power. After the 17th Congress, Zhou Yongkang exerted the power, and Jiang oversaw state affairs from behind the scenes.
Zhou retired after the 18th Congress due to the age issue. The Jiang faction had to arrange a successor to replace Zhou, to continue to hold the real power, and to maintain the persecution of Falun Gong at the highest power level.
Xi originally was a transitional figure arranged by the Jiang group due to his low-profile personality. Xi had no obvious political grouping and was therefore accepted by all parties.
The real successor who would make Jiang feel safe was Bo Xilai, who was involved in the ruthless persecution of Falun Gong. Thus a coup plan was made to replace Xi.
After the Wang Lijun and Bo Xilai incident in which Wang fled to the US consulate, Bo received a life sentence. Jiang lost his card, and his invisible veil was lifted and destroyed.
Jiang’s several assassination attempts on Xi failed, and the supreme power did not fall into the Jiang faction’s hands. Through murders, explosions, and other terrorist attacks against civilians, the Jiang faction wanted to create chaos in an attempt to seize power.
The Xi faction struck back by sacking those involved in the persecution of Falun Gong. Therefore we witnessed the fall of Li Dongsheng, Su Rong, and others.
Now Jiang’s desperate last straw is to utilize his crony Leung Chun-ying and all the Jiang faction’s resources in Hong Kong.
Jiang’s supporters are facing the crisis they have been afraid of: a policy to stop the persecution of Falun Gong.
The CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong is a serious matter affecting over 100 million Falun Gong practitioners. The persecution requires a huge amount of money and the cooperation of the associated political, economic, and diplomatic machines.
Previously, Jiang Zemin ran the entire state machine around the persecution of Falun Gong. If this is fully exposed, it will lead to a series of purges.
China has become the world’s second largest economy. China’s huge market attracts most of the countries in the world to be its business partners, and the yuan exchange rate directly affects the world economy and the economic and social stability of China.
China’s investment environment affects the stability of the world economy as well as the interests of the world’s major financial groups. Therefore, it is essential to understand the events happening in China and the true information.
If you do not understand the incidents centered on the Falun Gong issue for the past ten years, you cannot really understand China, and you cannot have a real idea of what is happening in China.
The Truth of Falun Gong
In July 1999, when Jiang initiated the persecution of Falun Gong, there were about 100 million people practicing Falun Gong in China. When their friends and family members are added in, the persecution actually involves several hundred million Chinese.
This crackdown on hundreds of millions of people fundamentally undermined traditional Chinese culture. In order to maintain the persecution, the CCP regime destroyed the legitimate legal system in China, dragged down China’s economy, disrupted the normal social order, and pushed the whole country to the edge of moral collapse.
Various conflicts and crises are far beyond the control of the authorities and will eventually lead to the CCP’s doomsday.
Falun Gong practitioners have been subject to the cruelest persecution in history, including policies such as “destroy their reputations, exhaust them financially, eliminate them physically,” “killing Falun Gong practitioners counts as nothing,” and “direct cremation without checking identity.”
Under such a heavy persecution policy, Falun Gong practitioners have suffered from severe beatings, electric shocks, rape, forced injections of nervous system-damaging drugs, and hundreds of other forms of torture—a horrible collection of all the persecution methods in history.
They have even experienced live organ harvesting, a crime that has never happened before on this planet. Tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners were killed for their organs.
This crime against humanity committed by the Jiang faction is outside the basic moral bottom line. This unprecedented crime has been exposed to the international community by Falun Gong practitioners, who have raised awareness of the issue for 10 years.
The European Parliament and the U.S. Congress have proposed a motion to stop Chinese communist authorities’ organ harvesting. More and more international organizations, human rights groups, and mainstream people have become concerned about the situation, condemning the crime and calling for an end to live organ harvesting.
Under pressure from the international community, many CCP officials have begun to leave a door open for their futures.
Jiang’s supporters are afraid that the current authorities will not continue the persecution policy. In order to prevent Xi’s authorities from taking any possible action, Jiang, Zeng, and others are fighting against Xi desperately.
The persecution of Falun Gong has lasted 15 years. During that time, both mainland and overseas Falun Gong practitioners have determinedly explained the facts to the general public in the international community.
Falun Gong is now being welcomed in more than 130 countries and regions in the world. At the same time, Falun Gong practitioners have launched a movement to quit the CCP.
To date, more than 200 million Chinese have declared their withdrawal from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
Moral Decline
In 1992, Mr. Li Hongzhi introduced Falun Gong to the public. Just seven years later, there were around 70 to 100 million people practicing Falun Gong, according to the internal statistics of the Ministry of Public Security.
Falun Gong practitioners follow the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance to improve themselves and maintain their physical health. Millions of people have regained their health and uplifted their moral standards.
Before the persecution, there were endless positive actions associated with Falun Gong, which was truly a big help for social stability.
After atheism cut off the connection with traditional Chinese culture, and economic development led to moral decline, Falun Gong reconstructed the belief system of Chinese people and laid a solid foundation for China’s future moral system. This is ultimately beneficial for both China and the rest of the world.
However, Jiang launched a brutal persecution against Falun Gong out of selfishness and jealousy. Since then, all Chinese laws exist on paper only.
All the functions of the government, including political, judicial, diplomatic, educational, and media, all center on Falun Gong. An amount of national comprehensive social resources equivalent to one quarter of the national GDP is used to persecute Falun Gong. Some years it has been as high as three quarters.
The Chinese regime lies to the world while imposing a brutal persecution against its most kind-hearted citizens. The human rights website Minghui.org reported that several thousand Falun Gong practitioners have been killed, and some say the number could be several million.
Even so, Falun Gong practitioners are still full of courage and peaceful spirit, telling the truth and spreading Falun Gong to more than 130 countries and territories worldwide.
Now the CCP regime knows the persecution is unsustainable. The 15-year persecution has not brought down Falun Gong, but forced Chinese authorities to face the consequences.
Power has been seriously abused, government officials are overwhelmingly corrupted, the social moral system has collapsed, and there are civil protests one after another. The red wall is crumbling.
CCP Faces Breakdown
Facing the task of maintaining stable power, the horror of the possible collapse of the CCP, and worries about social resistance toward the killing, the current government is not willing to continue the persecution.
This attitude has made the Jiang faction fearful. They are afraid that they will be purged if the persecution stops.
Thus they have tried hard to make the current authorities part of the persecution scheme, and they even attempted a coup d'état, which led to the fall of Bo Xilai.
The top-level battle has not stopped. Jiang’s supporters are directly involved in the bloody persecution, and they have been blocking the incumbent authorities politically and economically.
If the Falun Gong issue is not resolved, all the reforms are just empty talk. China will be in constant turmoil, which can only accelerate the downfall of the CCP.
15-Year Cover-Up
Currently the Falun Gong issue has become the core issue of China. It directly affects hundreds of millions of people and is the core political influence element in China.
If those outside China do not bear this in mind, they simply cannot judge the situation in China and make sound decisions accordingly. This became especially prominent after the Wang Lijun and Bo Xilai incident.
In contemporary society, such a major event has been filtered out by international media. When some problems occur in China, the outside world cannot find the key issue of the problems. Their analysis and interpretation is far away from the truth.
Then who should be held responsible for this situation?
(To be continued)
Translated by Susan Wang. Written in English by Sally Appert.
