Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Chongqing city, which experienced severe flooding following heavy rains, from Aug. 20 to Aug. 21, but state-run media didn’t report on his trip until Aug. 23—an unusual delay for media outlets that typically provide constant coverage of top officials’ public activities.
The media reports also focused on economic development—a departure from the information about Li’s trip that was posted on the Chinese central government’s official website from Aug. 20 to Aug. 25. The website emphasized that Li had observed the effects of the flooding and encouraged locals to unite amid the catastrophe.
China analysts say this inconsistency adds to mounting evidence of disagreements between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Li, and suggests internal strife within the Communist Party leadership.
“The Chinese regime doesn’t want to expose any real catastrophe situations to the public, because the tragic lives that Chinese people have suffered will damage the regime’s image and threaten its ruling,” Zhong wrote.
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According to Party ranking, as premier, Li oversees the country’s economic policies.But during an economic seminar organized by Xi at Zhongnanhai—the Party’s headquarters—on Aug. 24, Li was conspicuously absent.
“Xi wanted to show that he is the real boss of the Chinese economy by organizing this seminar without Li. He wanted to tell people that Li doesn’t make any decisions,” said U.S.-based China affairs commentator Tang Jingyuan.
Since May, Xi and Li have issued conflicting comments regarding the state of China’s economy.
During a speech at the May 28 session of the rubber-stamp legislature, Li revealed that 600 million Chinese only earn 1,000 yuan ($140) per month, which isn’t enough to cover monthly rent on a one-bedroom apartment in a midsized Chinese city.
Flood Visits
Central and southern China have suffered historic flooding since June. On Aug. 18, Xi visited areas of Anhui Province, which was inundated after local rivers overflowed. This was his first trip to a disaster zone this year.An insider from the Fuyang municipal government in Anhui told The Epoch Times that all aspects of Xi’s trip were well-planned, including where he went, who he met with, and the local people who would talk to him.