Anti-Xi moves in full swing to avoid Xi‘s long-term rule

May 24, 2017, 09:00 am

By Hong Soon-do, Beijing correspondent, AsiaToday

The recent move by opposition forces against Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has clearly seized power over the last five years through strong leadership, seems quite serious. They are carrying out a full-scale attack as if they promised to interrupt Xi's long-term seizure of power. Such move is likely to be fierce until the opening of the 19th National Congress this autumn, which will definitely strengthen Xi's power further.

		0
Bo Xilai, a former party secretary of Chongqing, and Xu Caihou, a former deputy chairman of the party's Central Military Commission. Both of them were called core members of the New Gang of Four, and were removed during the Xi Jinping administration. Their followers are known to be remaining to stand against the current administration./ Source: search engine Baidu

On the basis of several circumstances, it's not too much to say that Xi's power remains steady. However, if you look more closely, you will detect a strong anti-Xi movement. According to Beijing sources on Tuesday, there are roughly four types of forces that are driving this movement. First of all, the key figures of the previous governments led by Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, who are being the targets of suppression. Also, we shouldn't ignore the followers of so-called the New Gang of Four, which includes former Chongqing secretary Bo Xilai. The democratization movement activists as well as corrupted government officials are driving the movement, too.

The reason for their resistance is clear. It's because they believe they will lose their footing if Xi Jinping clearly strengthens the foundation of the long-term ruling through the 19th National Congress. Considering the tendency of Xi Jinping, who is known for his strongman rule, their analysis doesn't seem to be wrong.

Anti-Xi Jinping groups are resisting in various ways. First of all, they are damaging Xi Jinping's authority and morality. For example, Wang Qisham, China's anti-corruption czar and the closest ally of Xi, has been recently swept up in rumors that he accumulated wealth rapidly by exercising his influence. Regardless of whether the rumors are true or not, we should say that they have damaged Xi Jinping's reputation

It's hard to say that there weren't any deliberate attempts to harm Xi Jinping. The fact that Xi has recently tightened security level is not irrelevant with this atmosphere. Besides, various protests led by democratic activists in and outside of China, should not be ignored. We could say that the resistance of the opposition forces is as strong as the president's power.

#anti-Xi Jinping #19th National Congress #Bo Xilai #Xu Caihou