In his speech, Zhou appeared as a loyal Party cadre. China Central Television covered Zhou’s speech, highlighting its focus on Hu’s contribution to CCP ideology, the Scientific Development Concept. Zhou also spoke of the importance of the PLAC keeping a tight grip on its political direction and maintaining the utmost consensus with Party Central on “major matters of right and wrong.”
On March 23, Zhou had called a nationwide PLAC meeting in Beijing. His letter on that occasion struck a very different tone. Zhou praised highly the “accomplishments” of the PLAC.
Click this tag or www.ept.ms/ccp-crisis to read about the most recent developments in the ongoing power struggle within the Chinese communist regime. Intra-CCP politics are a challenge to make sense of, even for veteran China watchers. Here we attempt to provide readers with the necessary context to understand the situation. Get the RSS feed. Get the Timeline of Events. Who are the Major Players?
Shi Zangshan, a Washington D.C.-based China expert, commented on Sound of Hope Radio (SOH) on Hu’s stratagem: “Hu Jintao summoned PLAC secretaries from around the country for training on very short notice. This is Hu’s method of preventing Zhou Yongkang from mobilizing the police and armed security forces while Hu is traveling. Obviously, Hu does not trust Zhou.”
Li Tianxiao, a political commentator and columnist for The Epoch Times, told SOH: “The training [session] has stripped Zhou of his power by isolating Zhou. It’s like putting Zhou under house arrest, and thereby preventing him from influencing the PLAC’s lower-level cadres.”
Li said in the past, Zhou violated the law and committed many crimes by directly giving orders to his PLAC secretaries around the nation. Now these secretaries have been summoned to Beijing and are being given an opportunity to expose Zhou.
“Zhou’s situation now is similar to that of Bo Xilai when he met Canadian Prime Minister Harper [on Feb. 11] during his visit in China,” Li said. “Bo also appeared at a press conference during the two meetings [the annual meetings of the National Party Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, which adjourned March 14 in Beijing]. People therefore thought Bo was not in trouble. However, a few days later, Bo was arrested. Zhou’s appearance at the training session is like that.”
“The nature of infighting in the CCP is such that you can appear in the public eye one day, but you might be arrested the next day,” Li said. “This is determined by the nature of the Party’s bloody power struggle. Therefore, Zhou’s appearance in the training does not mean he is safe.”
Control of Armed Forces
Political and social commentator Wu Fan told The Epoch Times that Hu Jintao’s biggest worries are the Armed Police and the Public Security Bureau forces controlled by Zhou.
“By summoning the PLAC secretaries, who have the power over the Armed Police and the Public Security forces, Hu basically has put all of them under control,” Wu said.
“Hu himself does not need to give a speech. Instead, Zhou had to give a speech about obeying the Party Central,” Wu said. “Zhou’s attitude totally changed in his March 26 speech. He said that PLAC is merely a functional branch, not a commanding branch, nor a branch in a leading position, and therefore the PLAC must obey the Central government.”
Earlier in the month, Hu had called on the People’s Liberation Army and on the Armed Police to pay more attention to “safeguarding social stability.”
Party mouthpiece Xinhua reported on March 23 that Guo Boxiong, the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, had asked the army to be prepared to handle well stability maintenance and disaster relief work, and to make sure to act quickly should anything occur. This would be a change of role for the army. Stability maintenance has been the province of the Armed Police, who are regularly used to suppress protests.
On March 27, People’s Liberation Army Daily article continued the drumbeat of the military following Hu’s lead: “New developments have arisen as profound changes have taken place in the world, nation, and the Party. … We should ensure that all troops resolutely follow the command of the Party Central, Central Military Commission, and Chairman Hu.”
Hu and Wen’s way of dealing with Zhou Yongkang is quite similar to how Mao and Zhou Enlai dealt with Lin Biao some 40 years ago. When Lin Biao, then a military leader, attempted a coup to oust Mao, Zhou Enlai summoned military generals to Beijing to show their loyalty or else be arrested.
