Xi’s Right-Hand Man a Spy? Hu Jintao's Patron Dead! PLA Daily Mocks Xi

As China's two sessions open amid an atmosphere of tension rarely seen before, a series of unusual signs have emerged. Delegates are reportedly being kept separated, the leadership appears gripped by internal suspicion, and even Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong has been rumored to be suspected as an internal spy. At the same time, the death of veteran leader Song Ping, who once helped elevate Hu Jintao, has fueled further speculation Even more striking, the PLA Daily unexpectedly published an article about stir-fried pig heart, eat the pig's heart, lose people's hearts, prompting public speculation that it might be a form of political innuendo directed at Xi Jinping, at a time when both the military and the political establishment appear unusually silent. So just how fragile and strained has China's political system become? Let's take a closer look in today's program. Two sessions, delegates forced to stay separated? According to Dashijiu, on March 4, Beijing opened the annual two sessions, with the authorities maintaining an exceptionally high level of vigilance. Based on arrangements reportedly made by Cai Qi under the direction of Xi Jinping, delegates to the National People's Congress and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference traveling to Beijing for the meetings were required to stay in separate accommodations rather than together. Political commentator Chen Pocom revealed that a series of domestic and international developments have pushed this year's two sessions into an atmosphere of unusually intense tension. In earlier periods, such as during the leadership of Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, the atmosphere during the two sessions was relatively relaxed. Delegates attending the meetings in Beijing were assigned hotels according to their province or institution. Representatives from each province stayed in designated hotels, ministries had their own accommodations, and military delegations were housed separately. During the day they attended meetings, and in the evenings they could still go out for entertainment. However, since Xi Jinping came to power, the situation has changed. Delegates traveling to Beijing for the meetings have been placed under strict control. Their accommodations, down to which hotel and which floor they stay on, are isolated with security barriers, preventing any contact with outsiders, while outsiders are likewise prevented from approaching them. After the daytime meetings end, they are not allowed to go out at night. This year, the level of control has reportedly become even more stringent. Even delegates from the same delegation, such as those from the military or the People's Armed Police, are required to stay separately. The reason, according to reports, is that Xi Jinping fears delegates might gather and cause trouble, form alliances to stage some kind of uprising, or even rush the podium during the meetings and attempt something drastic. It is said that these arrangements have left Tai Chi, director of the General Office of the Central Committee, and many other officials extremely busy and exhausted, racking their brains to figure out how to keep the delegates separated. Chen Pukong commented, over-calculation often ends up harming oneself. Wang Xiaohong suspected of being an internal spy? What Xi Jinping fears most is that an incident might occur during this year's two sessions. However, forcing delegates to stay separated does not guarantee that nothing will happen. A series of setbacks involving his international allies has reportedly made Xi increasingly suspicious, prompting him to search for internal spies throughout the political system. Yet, before anything else, someone must first be found to act as a big fish to take the blame. Some individuals within Xi's own camp have allegedly leaked information overseas, claiming that he suspects someone within the public security apparatus of secretly colluding with the United States. In this context, Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong has suddenly become a target, labeled as a high-level internal spy who must be guarded against. It is said that he has been placed under surveillance and stripped of much of his real authority. A person claiming to be Old Chen from Xi's faction reportedly wrote to political commentator Lao Deng, suggesting that Wang Xiaohong might ultimately have to take responsibility for the Zhang Youxia affair, at least partially. This has created the impression that Wang acted too hastily and aggressively in dealing with the Zhang Youxia issue, and could face disciplinary measures in order to explain matters to the military. Political commentator Chen Pocong has also claimed that Wang Xiaohong is now under comprehensive monitoring and has been largely hollowed out of power within the Ministry of Public Security. On February 14th, during a Lunar New Year reception at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, television footage showed both Wang Xiaohong and Hu Chunhua appearing unhappy and weighed down. According to Chen Pocong, Wang's loss of influence stems from problems that have emerged in his relationship with Xi Jinping. One reason is that Wang Xiaohong controls the dagger, a metaphor for the public security apparatus. After consolidating control over the gun, meaning the military, Xi reportedly wants to deal with the dagger as well. Otherwise, he cannot feel secure. A second reason relates to events during the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee in 2024. There were reports that Xi Jinping suffered a stroke and Under pressure from the majority of those present, Wang Xiaohong allegedly supported Jiang Yuxia in taking temporary control of military authority and cooperated with him in lifting the house arrest imposed on several veteran political figures, allowing them to participate in the latter part of the meeting. This reportedly led Beijing's leadership at the time to restore what was called a collective leadership system and leadership term limits, while also establishing mechanisms for coordinating central decision-making. However, Xi Jinping later launched a countermove to arrest Jiang Yuxia, overturning those arrangements. As a result, Wang Xiaohong also became a target of Xi's retaliation. These reports have not been independently verified, but they cannot be entirely ruled out. Internationally, Xi Jinping's old friends are becoming fewer and fewer. Domestically, the situation appears even more worrying. Xi is well aware that within both the military and the political bureaucracy, there are many who hope that if he does not end up like Ali Khamenei, he might at least end up like Nicolas Maduro, eventually being detained by the United States. There are also rumors that the Jiang Yuxia incident has placed Xi Jinping in a passive position and that he may even feel some regret about how he handled it. Signals emerging from Chinese Communist Party propaganda outlets suggest that Xi has indeed encountered serious difficulties regarding the Jiang Yuxia matter. Many within the system are now simply lying low, waiting to see whether the case will be reopened, while Xi appears no longer able to push matters forward as decisively as before. Recently, the CCP's theoretical journal Xi republished a series of Xi Jinping's speeches under the headline, Let the spirit of daring to take responsibility, daring to shoulder burdens, and being capable of shouldering them become the prevailing trend. However, some commentators argue that if something needs to be called upon to become a trend, it usually means that it does not currently exist. In other words, within today's political and military systems, many officials do not want to act, do not dare to act, and are unwilling to follow Xi Jinping's directives, a phenomenon that has become increasingly widespread. Song Ping, Hu Jintao's key patron, passes away. Amid this already tense atmosphere, on the very first day of the two sessions, March 4th, one of the oldest senior figures in the Chinese Communist Party, Song Ping, passed away at the age of 109. He was the oldest surviving figure among the party's top leadership and also the last remaining member of the generation that participated in the December 9th student movement of 1935. His death marks the passing of an entire political generation. According to political commentator Li Dayu, footage related to the event suggests that when Xi Jinping attended the Chinese people's political consultative conference meeting on March 4th, he appeared rather pleased with himself. Previously, before the reported incident involving Zhang Yuxia, Xi often looked isolated, powerless, and gloomy when appearing at meetings. This time, however, he appeared relaxed and at ease, as if no one were restraining him anymore, like a heavy burden had been lifted. Song Ping was well known for his longevity, and at 109 years old, his passing at any time would not normally be considered surprising. What has drawn attention, however, is that he died exactly on the opening day of the two sessions. Moreover, Song Ping was widely regarded as a major benefactor of Hu Jintao, who is often rumored to be quietly at odds with Xi Jinping. For this reason, his death under such circumstances has led some observers to feel that something about the timing seems unusual. Another notable detail is that Xinhua News Agency reported the news unusually quickly. Typically, when a senior party leader dies, the information is kept confidential for several days before being announced publicly. This time, however, Xinhua released the official announcement only a few hours after Song Ping's death. Song Ping once served as head of the CCP's Central Organization Department, a position with enormous power over the appointment and removal of officials. Within the political system, he cultivated many protégés and officials he had promoted, among them Hu Jintao. While serving as Party Secretary of Gansu Province, Song reportedly discovered Hu Jintao when he was still a young engineer working at the Lujiaxia construction site, later promoting him through several important positions until Hu became the youngest member of the Politburo Standing Committee in 1992. Because of this, it has often been said that without Song Ping, Hu Jintao might never have been chosen as the designated successor. Although Song himself never served on the Politburo Standing Committee, his status and privileges were often regarded as comparable to that rank. However, as Xi Jinping increasingly centralized power, the influence of party elders like Song Ping gradually diminished. In addition, Song Ping served as chairman of the China Family Planning Association from 1990 to 1998. China's family planning policies were notorious for their strict birth control enforcement, and in some cases even late-term pregnancies were forcibly terminated—practices that many critics have described as extremely cruel. Song Ping had once participated in the December 9th Student Movement in 1935, a protest movement against Yet decades later, during the 1989 student protests, he joined many other senior leaders in supporting Deng Xiaoping's decision to use force to suppress the movement—a contradiction that many observers see as deeply ironic. Today, with Song Ping's passing, many believe his death carries more symbolic meaning than direct political impact on China's current political landscape. It reflects the internal power struggles within the Communist Party, and, in the eyes of some observers, suggests that the system itself may be entering a late and uncertain phase. Did the PLA Daily mock Xi Jinping? According to Secret China, on March 4th, the PLA Daily published a vivid story about a plate of stir-fried pig heart. The story recounts that shortly after the soldier Dong Kunrui joined the army, his unit slaughtered a pig to improve the soldier's meals. Since one pig's heart could only make a small dish, the kitchen planned to serve it to the company's officers. Dong Kunrui reportedly stepped forward and shouted to the soldiers, if you eat the pig's heart, you will lose the people's hearts. Because speech in China is tightly controlled, many ordinary words have acquired political undertones. Some of the most sensitive terms online are nicknames associated with Xi Jinping, including phrases like 200 Jin, fat pig, and pig head. For example, a few years ago, food blogger Wong Gang caused a stir online with a video titled, We Slaughtered a 200 Jin Fat Pig. The phrase itself triggered widespread discussion because of its perceived political implications. Against the backdrop of the CCP's two sessions, the sudden emphasis by a state outlet on phrases like killing pigs, stir-frying pig heart, and losing people's hearts naturally invites speculation. In recent years, propaganda outlets such as Xinhua, CCTV, and the PLA Daily have sometimes been accused of engaging in so-called high-level smearing. Even CCP leaders have warned in speeches against this practice, indirectly acknowledging its existence. Chinese state media once described high-level smearing as praising on the surface while criticizing underneath, speaking indirectly, hinting at one target while appearing to address another, putting the person implied in a difficult position. Responding may seem like an admission, while silence means swallowing the criticism. This article could easily produce such an effect. Even if Xi Jinping felt uncomfortable reading it, he would have little room to respond. Notably, after Xi reportedly moved against Jiang Yuxia and Liu Zhenli, the PLA Daily suddenly ran a line about eating pig heart and losing people's hearts. That naturally raises the question, who exactly is being hinted at as having lost the people's support? The article also quotes Mao Zedong, let people speak, the sky will not fall. It adds that correct opinions should be phrases that many readers see as layered with meaning. One line stands out in particular, Ironically, what Xi Jinping appears to face today is precisely that, a striking silence within the military, with few officials willing to publicly state their position regarding Jiang Yuxia and Liu Zhenli, creating an awkward political situation. What are your thoughts on this year's CCP2 sessions? Feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks for reading and see you next time.