Xi's Inner Circle Is Cracking-----Wang Xiaohong, Cai Qi, and Xi Yuanping

The ultimate confrontation inside Zhongnanhai. Escalating. Xi's closest aides are all in trouble. This summer, an invisible net is tightening fast. Welcome back to Final War with Catherine Hu. The power struggle between Zhongnanhai's two rival centers of authority appears to be entering a new phase. What was once a prolonged stalemate may now be approaching a tipping point. In May, something highly unusual happened. The Politburo's regular end-of-month meeting appeared to disappear. Or more accurately, no public record of such a meeting ever emerged. That's highly unusual. At the same time, several of Xi's most trusted figures, Wang Xiaohong, Cai Qi, and even his brother Xi Yuanping, appear to be facing some of the most challenging moments of their political careers. Since the 20th Party Congress in October 2022, there have been only four occasions when Xinhua News Agency, the party's official mouthpiece, failed to report the Politburo's regular end-of-month meeting. And each of the previous three was followed by a major political shake-up. In May 2023, the meeting was absent from Xinhua's coverage. One month later, former Foreign Minister Qin Gang vanished from public view after what would become his final public appearance. In November 2024, the same thing happened again. No report. That same month, Miao Hua, Xi's most important military ally, a member of the Central Military Commission and a Navy Admiral, was placed under investigation for serious disciplinary violations and suspended from his duties. Then came May 2025. Once again, no Politburo meeting appeared in Xinhua's reporting. And one month later, the Central Party Decision-Making and Coordination Body was formally unveiled. With it came a profound shift in the party's decision-making structure, as authority previously exercised by the Politburo and its Standing Committee was transferred to the Decision-Making and Coordination Body. So when Xinhua News Agency once again failed to report a Politburo meeting in May of this year, there is every reason to suspect that something significant happened inside Zhongnanhai. Either a major case surfaced, or Xi's camp ran into serious trouble. For now, only a few ripples have reached the surface. One of them appeared at the very end of May. On May 30th, Xinhua reported that the Central Committee had decided to appoint Guan Jiao as a member of Standing Committee and Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee. Wang Zhonglin would no longer serve as Secretary Standing Committee member, or member of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee, and would be assigned to another position. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary provincial personnel reshuffle. But was it? What exactly might be hidden behind the replacement of Hubei's top party official? First, consider the man who has just been elevated to the top position in Hubei. Guan Zhihao is not an unfamiliar figure in China's political system. He was cultivated during Li Keqiang's years in Lianning Province. After Li's political decline, Guan himself spent years on the sidelines. Then came the turning point. Following the Third Plenum in July 2024, and amid the re-emergence of party elder Wen Jiabao, Guan was promoted to Minister of Natural Resources in December of that year. Now he has been sent to Hubei. At 56, he becomes China's youngest provincial party secretary. And the political meaning goes far beyond a personnel appointment. It suggests that the reformist camp has regained control of Hubei, a province long regarded as part of Xi's political sphere of influence. Hubei is one of China's top five provincial economies and occupies a critical strategic position. But even that may not be the most important part of the story. The real question is what happens next to Wang Zhonglin. That's where things become interesting. Wang Zhonglin's career has deep roots in China's public security, prosecutorial and judicial system. In 2020, during the most turbulent phase of the Wuhan outbreak, Li Keqiang selected him to replace Ma Guoqiang, who was facing intense criticism over the handling of the crisis. Wang subsequently became party secretary of Wuhan. Then, after party elder Wen's re-emergence in 2024, Wang was elevated again, this time to become Hubei's party secretary. That brings us to the real question. Where is Wang Zhonglin going next? The official announcement offered only a familiar phrase. Assigned to another position, no further explanation was given, and that omission immediately sparked speculation. Right now, information circulating inside the party appears to be pointing in the same direction. Wang Zhonglin may be the leading candidate to replace public security minister Wang Xiaohong. His professional background, combined with his years of experience in the public security, procuratorial and judicial system, makes him a natural contender for the post. If Wang Zhonglin ultimately succeeds Wang Xiaohong as minister of public security, the implications would be enormous. It would suggest that she has lost control of the public security system itself. And for Xi, that would be a devastating blow. Because removing Wang Xiaohong would be equivalent to dismantling Xi's personal security force. That is why Wang Xiaohong has become the single most important figure in this entire power struggle, perhaps even more important than Tsai Chi. Wang's fate could help determine whether Xi still has a path towards securing another term. And if Wang were to fall, the psychological impact on Xi's political camp could be profound. If this analysis is correct, it may also explain the unusual silence surrounding the Politburo meeting in May. Because for Xi, the removal of Wang would be an extraordinarily difficult political setback to absorb. It's not only Wang Xiaohong who appears to be under pressure, trouble also seems to be closing in on Tsai Chi. On May 29, 2026, China's top anti-corruption bodies, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, CCDI, and the National Supervisory Commission, announced that Dong Guibo, the former party secretary and director of Zhejiang's state-owned assets supervision and administration commission, was suspected of serious disciplinary and legal violations. According to the announcement, he voluntarily surrendered himself and is now under investigation. At first glance, the story looked unremarkable. Dong is not a senior national figure. His rank was relatively modest, but his political connections are another matter entirely. During Tsai Chi's years in Zhejiang province, Dong was one of his direct subordinates. In many ways, he functioned as a senior secretary within Tsai's political circle. More importantly, Dong's rise closely tracked Tsai Chi's patronage. Tsai promoted him to a senior position overseeing Zhejiang's state-owned enterprises, and later to vice mayor of Taizhou city. Taizhou was not an ordinary posting. It was one of Tsai Chi's most important political strongholds. Dong was more than just another provincial official. He was one of the key links connecting Tsai Chi to Xi's trusted network in Zhejiang. That's what makes this case so sensitive. This time, Dong did not wait to be detained. According to the official announcement, he voluntarily surrendered himself and accepted the investigation. And that raises an obvious question. What exactly does he know? After more than 20 years inside the system, Dong would have had access to a vast amount of first-hand information. If even part of that information begins to surface, it could create serious problems for Tsai Chi. Seen from that perspective, Dong's downfall carries a much larger political message. The CCDI no longer appears concerned about whose allies are being targeted. If anything, it looks as though the investigators are deliberately targeting the subordinate to send a message to the patron. Tsai Chi is not the only member of Xi's inner circle facing pressure. Alongside Wang Xiaohong and Tsai Chi stands another powerful figure, Xi Yuanping. Known in some circles as the Prince Yuan, most viewers have probably heard his name before. In the Yumen Long case, he was widely described as a key figure operating behind the scenes. Now, allegations and scandals involving Xi Yuanping are beginning to spread rapidly. Before the Yumen Long case came to light, Xi's younger brother Xi Yuanping was almost entirely invisible to the public. He operated behind the scenes. The true extent of his influence, his activities, even details of his personal life, virtually everything about him remained off-limits. For years, it was a territory few people dared to touch. But over the past several months, something has changed. Xi Yuanping's name has begun appearing with increasing frequency across overseas social media. And increasingly, it has been linked to a well-known actress who has herself become the focus of intense public attention. Before we go any further, however, one point needs to be made clear. I have not investigated these allegations, nor do I have any independent way to verify whether they are true. My purpose here is not to authenticate the rumors. It is to show the kind of public controversy that Xi Yuanping is now facing. Because that in itself is not an ordinary signal. According to rumors that remain unverified, Xi Yuanping has been closely linked to Chinese actress Jing Tian. The claims go even further. They allege that enormous sums of money, tens of billions of yuan, or hundreds of millions of dollars, were spent in an effort to turn Jing Tian into one of China's biggest stars. Jing Tian herself has long occupied a unique place in Chinese popular culture. For years, she has been associated with stories about an extraordinarily powerful and mysterious patron operating behind the scenes. The emergence of these rumors appears to offer an explanation for a question that has puzzled many Chinese people for more than a decade. What mystery? Jing Tian was born in Xi'an in 1988 and came from an ordinary family background. She trained in dance. Then, in 2005, before she was even 18 years old, her career trajectory appeared to change dramatically. According to the rumors, she became involved with a mysterious boyfriend said to possess extraordinary connections. From that point forward, her rise in the entertainment industry seemed almost meteoric. A film and television company was created specifically to support her career, with resources focused almost entirely on promoting her alone. Money was never an obstacle. Whether it was music albums, television dramas, or major films, Jing Tian's mysterious boyfriend reportedly spared no expense. The best resources, the biggest productions, the strongest lineups, nothing seemed out of reach. Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Chow Yun-fat, Nicholas Tse, Kim Hee-sun, even Matt Damon, one first-tier star after another appeared in Jing Tian's films, often in supporting roles, all in an effort to turn her into a star. The most striking example came with The Great Wall. On the film's promotional poster, even Andy Lau was placed below Jing Tian. That gives some sense of the extraordinary influence attributed to the man behind her rise. Yet, the results never matched the investment. Jing Tian was widely criticized as lacking the qualities of a leading actress. She was even labeled box office poison. Film after film, television drama after television drama, commercial disappointments kept piling up, and still the opportunities never stopped. She continued appearing in major Hollywood productions, legendary pictures projects such as Pacific Rim, Uprising and Kong, Skull Island, both featured Jing Tian. The Hollywood Film Awards went even further. It reportedly created a special international award specifically for Jing Tian, Hollywood International Best Actress Award. But perhaps the most curious detail was something else. For years, Jing Tian herself became a taboo subject on China's internet. People were simply not allowed to discuss her. One online comment seems to confirm the point. I work for a social media platform. I can see a whole list of banned keywords. Most of them are things like 8964, yet there was actually an entire list dedicated specifically to Jing Tian. Who exactly is the mysterious patron behind Jing Tian? That question has puzzled Chinese people for more than a decade. Now however, rumors claiming that the mysterious patron is Xi Yuanping have become one of the hottest topics online. What does that tell us? Regardless of whether the rumors are true or false, Xi Yuanping's mysterious status as a powerful behind-the-scenes godfather is no longer what it once was. And if that status is fading, then the troubles facing his brother are clearly far from ordinary. Inside the CCP's political world, the most important signals are often the quietest ones. Thunder is heard where no sound is made. That is why outsiders, especially in the West, often struggle to understand what is really happening inside Zhongnanhai. Recently, a seemingly minor development involving Xi sent a remarkably clear political signal. At the center of it stands a party elder, Jia Qinglin. Jia was not merely a former member of the Politburo Standing Committee, he was one of the most important figures in Xi's political rise. From Xi's early years as a local mayor to his later promotions, Jia played a critical role in recognizing, supporting, and advancing his career. One could even say that there would be no Xi as we know him today. Although Jia Qinglin retired years ago, one tradition has remained unchanged. Every three years, he meets with the leadership of his alma mater, Hebei University of Technology at Zhongnanhai. By now, it has become a regular ritual. More importantly, each of those meetings has carried a distinct political message. In May 2017, Jia's remarks were unremarkable. At the time, Xi had not yet become the unchallenged authority within the party. Jia did not mention Xi by name. But three years later, the political environment had changed dramatically. By September 2020, Xi had already established himself as China's dominant political figure. This time, Jia spoke much more directly. He stated that the university should make greater contributions under the guidance of Xi Jinping's thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era. Three years later, in 2023, Xi's authority appeared stronger than ever, and Jia's message remained unchanged. He once again stressed that the university should, under the guidance of Xi Jinping's thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, pursue high-quality development in all its endeavors. Then came this year, and this time something changed. The most striking difference was that Jia did not mention Xi at all. No Xi Jinping. No Xi Jinping thought. For someone whose political relationship with Xi runs this deep, that silence is difficult to ignore. If even Jia has stopped publicly invoking Xi and Xi Jinping thought, and is now beginning to keep his distance, what does that tell us? As the Chinese saying goes, a falling leaf heralds the coming of autumn. And Jia Qinglin may be the single most revealing leaf when it comes to understanding Xi's true standing within the party today. Get the real story behind the CCP's shifting power games, and see where U.S.-China relations are headed next. Support the vision of a new China without communism. Subscribe now and join us in bringing the truth to light.