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Chinese paramilitary policemen guard standing at Tiananmen Square on May 17, 2012 in Beijing. Beijing is the political center of China where the 18th Congress will be held. (Feng Li/Getty Images)
As the Chinese Communist Party’s 18th National Congress approaches, members of the Politburo Standing Committee have re-emerged from the seaside resort of Beidaihe and paramount leader Hu Jintao has reshuffled some Party members, particularly in the capital, Beijing, before he steps down.
On Aug. 17, the nine Politburo members, including Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, ended their summer resort meeting at Beidaihe, according to People’s Daily, the official Party mouthpiece.
Duowei News, an overseas Chinese media, reported that the Party has already finalized its plans for the new leadership and will proceed according to “established procedures.”
Yet the actual date of the congress has still not been revealed, despite China’s state-run media releasing a list of 2,270 representatives on Aug. 13. Many believe this delay is due to infighting among high-level Party officials, as illustrated by the ousting of Bo Xilai, former Party boss of Chongqing.
Securing control over Beijing—the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) seat of authority—has always been top priority for leaders. Every leader attempts to install his own trusted followers to take over in Beijing, according to analysts.
Steady changes are unfolding along these lines in the Beijing administration. On Aug. 17, Beijing released a list of 101 appointments and dismissals, including individuals from the municipal public security bureau, procuratorate, supervision bureau, as well as leaders of city-owned enterprises.
Numerous personnel changes occurred in the public security bureau and the commission for discipline inspection. Shougang Group’s Party secretary Zhu Jimin and Beijing Daily community Party secretary Mei Ninghua—both of whom have been viewed as members of Liu Qi’s and security czar Zhou Yongkang’s faction—were dismissed and demoted respectively.
Liu Qi, CCP Committee Secretary in Beijing, stepped down from office in July and was replaced by Guo Jinlong, who is associated with the Youth League Faction. These appointments and dismissals show that Hu Jintao has carried out another purge in the administration.
Many believe that control over Beijing has now been officially transferred to the Youth League Faction since Hu’s inauguration. He will step down from the post of Party chief after the congress but it is widely reported that he will hold the chief military commander position for an extended period.
The CCP’s four central-level newspapers—People’s Daily, People’s Liberation Army Daily, Guangming Daily, and Economic Daily—published special issues for the 18th Congress on Aug. 1, which is significantly earlier than the publication date for the 17th Party Congress five years ago.
The congress may take place between Sept. 20 and 25, according to Hong Kong media, Ming Pao, which would be earlier than the previous congress, which was held in mid-October.
Preparations are already underway. Beijing police have established a security headquarters to “maintain stability” in the capital during the congress, mainland media reported.
And there is a new program to swiftly deal with petitioners—those Chinese who travel to the capital with grievances, usually against local officials—including handing out large bounties, and sending spies posing as “researchers” to collect intelligence and infiltrate their ranks, later kidnapping them, all to make them disappear from Beijing’s streets.
Read the original Chinese article.
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