Cai Qi Unleashes the ‘Inward Blade’ — Is the Party Eating Its Own

Kai Qi unleashes the inward blade. Is the party eating its own? China's supply crisis doubles. Banks in full panic mode. Former agent exposes CCP's global social media spying on Chinese worldwide. China's saddest bride. Fiance flees over huge dowry leaving her heartbroken. China's weirdest year. The whole country feels off like never before. Welcome to Secret In China where facts matter and every story is told with integrity. Kai Qi unleashes the inward blade. Is the party eating its own? Beijing is tightening the screws again. As China's economic woes deepen and public discontent simmers, President Xi Jinping's trusted ally Kai Qi has issued a rallying cry, turn the blade inward. The phrase signals not self-reflection but another purge. A familiar script in Xi's relentless drive to control the Communist Party from within. Kai Qi, one of Xi's closest confidants and a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, recently published an article in People's Daily Calling for Comprehensive and Strict Party Governance. The piece emphasized loyalty to Xi and the continuation of his ideological crusade known as self-revolution. It echoed Maoist undertones of purification, urging cadres to confront problems within, while implicitly warning those whose faith in Xi may have wavered. Despite Xi's earlier claims that his anti-corruption campaign had achieved overwhelming victory, Kai's essay quietly admitted the opposite. Corruption and misconduct remain rampant. Analysts in Taiwan argue that the essay's timing and tone expose deep fractures within the party. Shen Ming-shih of Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research called it a veiled acknowledgment that Xi's decade-long campaign has failed to fix structural problems. Concentrating power in one man's hands, he said, only accelerates decay. The party wants to reform itself from within, Shen explained, but that's like trying to climb a tree to catch fish. Shen added that the essay serves another purpose, arming Xi with ideological justification to purge rival factions. Self-revolution and strict management, he said, are code words for the political cleansing to come. U.S.-based commentator Tang Jingyuan called the move unprecedented. Normally, such pronouncements come from China's top anti-corruption watchdog, not from Kai Qi himself. The shift, Tang said, suggests factional infighting has spilled into the open. We're seeing two competing visions, he noted. Xi wants a return to Mao's political model, while remnants of Deng Xiaoping's reformist legacy resist that regression. Turning the blade inward may be Xi's way of warning the latter group. The ideological crackdown extends beyond elite circles. On November 1, 2025, the party's journal Qiushi published another article condemning Officials who disengage, avoid responsibility, and wait out the storm. Analysts say the party's own machinery is grinding to a halt, paralyzed by fear and exhaustion after years of purges and policy reversals. Now the disciplinary system is threatening to punish those who refuse to act, Tang said. It's the regime stabbing its own bureaucracy in the back. Meanwhile, the cyberspace administration of China has launched a new, clear and bright campaign to root out negative emotions online. An Orwellian phrase targeting dissent or even mild pessimism. According to Taiwanese analyst Liu Xuting, this reflects the regime's insecurity and administrative breakdown. The government is not curing discontent, she said, but suppressing its expression. The economic picture worsens the mood. Growth is faltering. Unemployment is high. And public confidence is eroding. Shen noted that few Chinese now believe in the CCP's future. Most are simply waiting for it to fall. The loss of morale within both the bureaucracy and society, he argued, underscores a system approaching exhaustion. A commentary by Radio France Internationale summed up Xi's current predicament as three anxieties. Uncertain loyalty, bureaucratic inertia, and pervasive negativity. Tang Jingyuan believes the problem runs even deeper. These are not just Xi's worries, he said. They're symptoms of a dying system. The CCP is entering what could be called its historical garbage time. Behind the slogans and campaigns lies a paradox. Xi Jinping's attempt to tighten control may be hastening the very instability he fears. Every call for discipline exposes more defiance. Every purge breeds new resentment. And as China's leader sharpens his blade once more, it's increasingly clear that the blood he draws may be his own party's. China's supply crisis doubles. Banks in full panic mode. As mortgage defaults skyrocket across China, millions of families face mounting financial struggles. A recent report has revealed that the national average mortgage default rate has reached 3.7%, a significant jump from just 1.6% in 2024. In some lower-tier cities, the situation is even worse, with defaults exceeding 5%. This alarming trend signals a broader economic crisis that's gripping ordinary Chinese citizens, reflecting not only housing market instability, but also growing fears about income and job security. Mortgage default is defined as the failure to make mortgage payments for three consecutive months. A situation now affecting millions. Around 105 million households in China carry mortgages, and based on the latest figures, approximately 4 million of them have already defaulted. In other words, roughly 4 out of every 100 households are now struggling to repay their loans. Behind these statistics lies a harsh reality. Many people are losing jobs, seeing income cuts, and struggling to cover basic living expenses. For those still employed, reduced wages make it nearly impossible to meet both mortgage payments and daily needs. Historically, homeowners in financial trouble might have sought relief through refinancing, or taking out additional loans when property prices were rising. But now, with housing prices falling across the country, homeowners often find that their property is worth less than the remaining mortgage balance. This leaves them in a difficult position. To sell the house, they must first pay off the loan, which is often financially unfeasible. Faced with these challenges, some have considered taking out personal loans to stay afloat. However, without stable income or employment, securing such loans is nearly impossible. Once mortgage defaults occur, the consequences can be severe. A default triggers a negative credit record, making future borrowing exceedingly difficult. The scale of the crisis is staggering. With the balance of personal housing loans in China nearing 38 trillion yuan, even a 4% default rate would lead to 1.5 trillion yuan in unpaid loans. The impact on the banking sector is profound, forcing banks to make tough decisions. Continue lowering interest rates to help struggling homeowners, or risk watching the amount of bad debt balloon. To address this, the People's Bank of China is considering a one-time credit relief policy. This would allow people who defaulted between 2020 and 2022, where the default amounts were small and the loans have since been repaid, to remove their overdue records from the credit system. Essentially, it would give these individuals a fresh start, providing relief to those who are struggling but not permanently harmed by their defaults. This policy is not an act of benevolence from banks, but a response to the growing financial crisis. With defaults rising, banks themselves are under increasing strain. Helping individuals regain their footing and keep paying off their loans will benefit both the banks and the broader economy as a whole, particularly as China seeks to recover from the current economic slump. Ultimately, the rise in mortgage defaults is a reflection of more than just a floundering real estate market. It underscores the deep concerns many Chinese households have about their financial futures. The government's dilemma is clear. How to stimulate consumption, stabilize housing prices, and reduce debt, all of which are difficult to achieve simultaneously. To break this deadlock, the focus cannot be solely on real estate. Instead, policymakers must focus on creating stable jobs, securing incomes, and restoring public confidence, enabling families to confidently spend and continue servicing their debts. The road ahead may be long, but until these foundational issues are addressed, the financial struggles of millions of homeowners will continue to reverberate throughout China's economy. Former agent exposes CCP's global social media spying on Chinese worldwide. Their eyes are on you, even if you're halfway around the world. A former Chinese intelligence officer has sounded the alarm. The Ministry of State Security, MLXSS 10th Bureau, has turned social media platforms into a global surveillance grid aimed at overseas Chinese, students and dissidents employing everything from chat app interception to cyber attacks and psychological pressure. The whistleblower, who goes by Eric, revealed on the X platform that the 10th Bureau, officially named the Overseas Protection and Intelligence Bureau, sometimes called the Foreign Security and Reconnaissance Bureau, runs two core missions. Stop insiders from defecting or being turned and proactively monitor and suppress anti-communist activities abroad. Eric says the unit's purpose is to allow the party's eyes to reach every overseas Chinese. According to Eric, the 10th Bureau has an intelligence pipeline that draws in operations from multiple MSS departments, Bureau 1 and Bureau 2, which handle agent cover operations, Bureau 14, telecom interception, and it coordinates tightly with the United Front Work Department and the Ministry of Public Security, Public Security Ministry. The result? A global surveillance apparatus that spans digital and in-person monitoring, using social media, student networks, expatriate associations, and more. At the digital core, the 10th Bureau reportedly has direct access to data from popular Chinese platforms such as WeChat, and the CCP deliberately blocks foreign communication apps to keep users inside the Chinese ecosystem, simplifying wide-scale monitoring. Eric pointed out that some groups aligned with the CCP when they engage in illicit activity require employees not to use domestic software, a striking example of how pervasive the monitoring culture becomes. For overseas dissidents, the tactics go well beyond digital tracking. Eric says the Bureau deploys technical surveillance, human spies, email harassment, cyber attacks, psychological warfare, and ground-level monitoring via diaspora associations and student groups. He claims a number of international students or dissidents who returned to China in recent years faced arrest or disappearance, ties he connects directly to the Bureau's overseas monitoring. But the effort doesn't stop there. The 10th Bureau also engages in influence operations. Building dossiers on self-media influencers on platforms like TikTok, Douyin, and X, they analyze personality traits and political leanings, then use fake accounts to hunt or sow discord among those personalities. Their objective, manipulate public discourse and steer opinion in favorable directions. Eric further exposed how China's intelligence world employs commercial cover for covert operations. The so-called Business Supports Intelligence Business Intelligence Win-Win model, a 2024 leak from the Chinese company AngSoon Information Technology, showed hacker tools designed to steal overseas social media credentials and email passwords, feeding into the MSS's monitoring and manipulation apparatus. Legal scholar Yuan Hongbing, speaking to the Epoch Times, says the CCP's Political and Legal Affairs Commission has in recent years unified the MSS's United Front Work and Foreign Affairs Functions to upgrade its transnational campaign against Falun Gong, even impersonating independent media or arts groups to disseminate disinformation targeting Falun Gong media credibility. The Epoch Times editor-in-chief Huang Wanqing said in September 2025 they were targeted by hackers impersonating individuals to send threats to the White House, a method he called the CCP's last-ditch craziness. He warned that the U.S. and international community will not ignore such transnational intelligence threats, which may constitute crimes under U.S. law. Eric's revelations paint a chilling picture of how the Chinese state extends its reach far beyond its borders, melding technology, espionage and influence operations in a concerted effort to monitor and control overseas communities and dissent. China's saddest bride. Fiance flees over huge dowry, leaving her heartbroken. At 33, single and childless, I feel the sting of loneliness growing ever sharper. I often regret not starting a family before the age of 30. And now, as I near 40, the fear that no one would know if I fell ill or died alone haunts me. I once imagined a world where powerful CEOs fought over my affection, believing I was destined for grand romance. But reality gave me a harsh wake-up call. Was I simply daydreaming, or had I missed the truth? The world had a different plan for me, one I wasn't prepared for. In China, the dowry tradition has evolved from a symbol of the groom's commitment to a much more transactional affair, often serving as a source of conflict. While a dowry was once seen as a gesture of sincerity, it has become a source of tension for many couples today. This financial burden can lead to heartbreak, particularly when families disagree on its value or affordability. The struggle is real. When financial pressure mounts, love sometimes crumbles beneath its weight. Consider the case of a couple from Shanghai. He, a 28-year-old doctor with a stable career, and she, a 30-year-old dance teacher, had been dating for two years before the subject of marriage arose. Her family demanded a dowry of $70,000, a sum that was beyond his comfort zone. His family balked at the idea, suggesting a much smaller dowry, around $14,000. When she refused the offer, convinced it wasn't enough to prove his love, the man proposed breaking up. At first, she thought he was joking, but after days of silence, the reality set in. He had ended the relationship, and despite her desperate pleas to compromise, it was too late to salvage what they had. This story is a reflection of the deeper cultural shift in China, where young women, despite being well-educated and independent, still yearn for the traditional fairy tale romance. With social media inundated with stories of the dominant CEO falling for the poor girl or the single mother of two finding love, many women continue to dream of marrying a man who is rich, handsome, and deeply devoted. But how realistic is this dream? At 35, I reflect on my own journey, working in Shanghai for a foreign company and questioning whether I am a high-quality woman or simply undervalued in the traditional sense. My dream remains simple, to marry, have children, and lead a stable, loving life before I hit 40. I don't require a mansion or luxury car, just a man who doesn't smoke, drink, or cheat, and a dowry of $9,300, a token of commitment. However, many women's dreams of marrying rich are overshadowed by the reality that wealthy men are less interested in settling down with women of average means. They prefer the young and beautiful, leaving ordinary women with little hope of finding such a partner. Still, some argue that women should continue to ask for a dowry. One blogger insists that it is an essential safeguard, especially when a man tries to bargain down the price. Without this form of security, the concern is that some men may not appreciate the value of their wives, boasting that they married for free or, worse, that their wives helped pay for their marriage. In the case of a man from Shandong, the dowry nearly ruined everything. After years of saving, he had accumulated enough to marry his girlfriend, only for her family to demand more money for gold jewelry. Furious, he called off the wedding and set out to explore China instead. With just $560 a month and a frugal lifestyle, he managed to save enough for the dowry. But when her family asked for more, he broke up with her. Over the course of seven months, he traveled through 15 provinces and 48 cities on a shoestring budget, using public transportation, eating cheap meals, and staying in dorms and parks. In the end, the journey transformed him. He found new love and now lives a peaceful, fulfilling life, far removed from the expectations that once defined his relationship. This story of heartbreak and travel serves as a reminder that sometimes the pursuit of love and the traditions surrounding it can lead us down unexpected paths. The value of a dowry, once a symbol of security and commitment, has become a divisive issue, challenging the foundation of modern relationships in China. As young people navigate the complexities of love, money, and cultural expectations, many are realizing that the pursuit of happiness may not always follow the traditional script. China's weirdest year, the whole country feels off like never before. In 1976, China lived through a year of extraordinary tragedy and upheaval, a time when the forces of nature seemed to align with the passing of the nation's founding leaders, creating a sense of doom that lingered long after. From meteor showers to devastating earthquakes and the deaths of iconic figures, 1976 marked an indelible chapter in China's history, leaving the country profoundly changed. The year began with an eerie celestial event. On the afternoon of March 8th, a meteor streaked across the sky over Jilin, its fiery tail creating a spectacle so bright that witnesses described it as like a second day. The meteor exploded 19 kilometers above the earth, sending debris scattering over a 500-square-kilometer area. The sound was deafening, shattering windows and creating a cosmic storm of destruction. Yet, remarkably, no lives were lost. Despite the lack of physical damage, the event struck many as an ominous harbinger of the months to come. The earth's tremors began shortly after. On May 29th, 2025, a violent 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit Longling County in Yunnan at 8.23 p.m., shaking the ground and toppling buildings. Just two hours later, a stronger 7.4-magnitude quake struck, plunging the region into chaos. The twin quakes were accompanied by a geological anomaly, a massive one-meter-wide fissure that split the earth open, a dark and foreboding reminder of the earth's power. The rare occurrence left an indelible mark on the survivors as the region was ravaged and the memories of those harrowing moments would never be forgotten. As the year wore on, the sense of unease grew. In January, Zhou Enlai, the premier of China and a key leader of the revolution, passed away. His death cast a shadow over the nation, and the grief was compounded just six months later when Zhu De, another founding figure, also died. While the country mourned, many sensed that these losses were just the beginning of something far greater. In the early hours of July 28th, the worst tragedy struck. At 3.42 a.m., a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated Tangshan, a city in northeastern China. In a matter of seconds, the entire city was reduced to rubble, with most of its residents still asleep. The tremor left the ground twisted and warped, destroying buildings, railways, and even coal mines. As the dust settled, the cries of the survivors mixed with the debris, and Tangshan became an enduring symbol of disaster, its destruction shocking the world. By August, the quakes continued. On August 16th, a 7.2-magnitude tremor struck Sichuan, followed by aftershocks that kept the country on edge. It was as if the earth itself refused to settle, with powerful tremors rocking the nation and forcing people to reckon with the fragility of their existence. The tragic rhythm of 1976 finally reached its conclusion with the death of Chairman Mao Zedong on September 9th. With the passing of Mao, Zhou Enlai, and Zhu De within the same year, it felt to many like the country was losing its foundational leaders in an almost choreographed sequence. To some, it seemed as though fate itself was playing out a precise, unseen pattern. The explanations for these extraordinary events vary. Some attribute the tremors and disasters to geological forces related to the shifting tectonic plates of the region. Others interpret the events as something more profound, with the meteorites and quakes marking the deaths of China's revolutionary giants, and perhaps even a form of divine retribution. Regardless of the cause, 1976 stands as one of the most catastrophic years in modern history, a time of unimaginable loss and change. The aftermath of 1976 reshaped China. Cities were rebuilt, and disaster preparedness became a priority. The loss of life and the shaking of the nation's foundations ushered in a new era. For those who lived through it, 1976 remains a haunting reminder of how quickly the course of history can be altered, and how the echoes of that year still resonate through China's modern narrative. Thank you for watching Secret in China. 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