For decades, Xu Shiping was a loyal functionary in the General Office of the Chinese Communist Party, a key nerve center for secret Party documents and logistics. He began his career there in 1981 and worked his way up the ranks to become the Party secretary in charge of the finances, vehicles, and well-appointed residences enjoyed by top officials. But in 2014, he was abruptly shunted to deputy director of the archives.
Xu’s career continued to slide: In March of this year, at age 60, he was dismissed as an archivist, and his official biography vanished from the State Archives website. His present employment status is unclear, Chinese media reports say.
Xu isn’t the only one. At least a dozen other current and former top cadres in the General Office appear to have been quietly disposed of in recent months, according to Chinese media reports. The silent cleansing is likely part of the campaign to rid the office of what state media has described as the malignant influence of its former chief, Ling Jihua. Ling was a top aide to the former Party leader before he was identified as part of an internal conspiracy that endangered the regime.
