Medical staff triage a patient after being brought by ambulance at the entrance of a busy hospital in Shanghai, China, on Jan. 14, 2023. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
As China struggles with a new wave of COVID-19 variants this autumn, official releases on the deaths of high-ranking officials, including a former commander of the Air Force and former party heads of provinces and cities, list the cause of “illness.”
On Oct. 10, China’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 398 COVID-19-incited severe cases and 45 fatal cases in September; a total of 11,629 infections were reported with omicron variant strains.
Meanwhile, official obituaries remain vague about the causes of death of important Chinese Communist Party (CCP) figures, with 17 senior officials reported to have died of illness within about three weeks spanning Oct. 1, the 74th anniversary of the founding of the CCP.
Omicron Virus Hits China
The COVID-19 epidemic has never gone away in China. After many permutations from the early stages to the sudden lifting of the lockdown at the end of last year, omicron variant strains are spreading around China, entering another wave of infections this fall.
Hospitals in many cities are swarming with patients. Doctors have long been told by authorities to stop nucleic acid and antigen testing in order to cover up cases.
“So far, I can’t figure out whether it’s a cold or COVID, a lot of people have symptoms of cold and fevers, especially students infecting each other, a family, a family of all infected, and there is a long queue in the hospital fever clinics late at night,” Mr. Wang, a Shanghai resident who didn’t want his full name used for security reasons, told the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times on Oct. 7.
But Beijing authorities have stepped up measures to prevent transmission of the virus at official venues such as the “Belt and Road” International Cooperation Forum held in the city on Oct. 18. All attendants were required to provide proof of a nucleic acid test within 24 hours and show the results of a rapid screening test within four hours.
A health worker in protective gear gives a nucleic acid test to detect COVID-19 to a man as others line up at a mass testing site in Beijing on Jan. 24, 2022. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
Obituaries of CCP Senior Officials
Yu Zhenwu, born in 1931, general and former commander of the Air Force, died on Sept. 29 in Beijing due to illness. Yu was born in 1931 and joined the CCP in August 1949. He was the commander of the 7th Air Force, commander of the Air Force in the Guangzhou Military Region, and deputy commander of the Air Force. In 1996, he was promoted to general of the Air Force.
Yu was the test pilot for CCP’s first jet airplane, Shenyang JJ-1.
Yan Zhaojun, a member of the Hainan Provincial Committee of the Political Consultative Conference, died on Oct. 10 at 59.
Yan had served as deputy director of the Department of Health of Hainan Province, secretary of the Changjiang County Party Committee, secretary of the Danzhou Municipal Committee, and secretary of the Sanya Municipal Committee. He had been secretary of the Department of United Front Work, deputy secretary of the party committee in Guizhou Province, vice chairman of the party committee of the Political Consultative Conference in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and member of the party committee in Hainan Province.
The official obituary said he died of illness. A few days before his death, from Sept. 19 to 20, Yan attended a political conference held by the party committee of Hainan province.
Li Hongchang, born in 1924, the seventh vice-chairman and eighth honorary vice-chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, died on Oct. 2 due to illness. The state-run Xinhua News Agency called him “a close friend of the CCP.”
Li joined the China National Democratic Construction Association in 1980 and served as the deputy secretary general of the Jilin Provincial Committee. He had been the vice mayor of Shuangliu County in Jilin Province, vice chairman of the Political Consultative Conference, secretary-general of the Jilin Federation of Industry and Commerce, and vice chairman and secretary-general of the Jilin Federation of Industry and Commerce.
Wang Jumei, born in 1949, former vice-governor of Henan Province, former deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Henan Provincial People’s Congress and deputy secretary of the party group, died on Sept. 20 due to illness.
Wang had been vice-chairman of the Women’s Federation of Henan Province, deputy secretary and mayor of the Nanyang Municipal Committee, director of the Personnel Department of Henan Province, vice-governor of Henan Province, vice-director of the Standing Committee of Henan Province, and a delegate to the Sixteenth National Congress.
The official obituary described her as an “outstanding CCP member” and a “loyal fighter for communism.”
Qiu Yue, born in 1943, former Beijing Municipal Planning Commission member and current chairman of the Beijing Urban Planning Association, died on Oct. 7 of illness.
Dong Jishi, born in 1939, former deputy secretary of the Beijing Municipal Daxing County Committee and county mayor, died on Oct. 5 in Beijing due to illness.
Liang Zhihua, born in 1924, former secretary of the Chongwen District Committee of Beijing Municipality, mayor of Chongwen District, and head of the Standing Committee of the District People’s Congress, died in Beijing on Sept. 28 due to illness.
The dead comprise at least ten other high-ranking department and bureau-level officials:
Zhang Xiasheng, 64, former vice mayor of Chizhou City, Anhui Province, and former Political Consultative Conference vice chairman, died on Oct. 12 due to illness. Mr. Zhang was deputy mayor of Shitai County, Anhui Province, deputy mayor of Chizhou City, and vice chairman of the Chizhou Municipal People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Zeng Guide, a retired official of the Overseas Chinese Federation of Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province, died on Oct. 8 due to illness. Zeng was a political instructor of the Jinan Military Region, party secretary of the Longquan Coal Mine of the Zibo Mining Bureau of Shandong Province, director of the Quzhou Municipal Culture Center in Zhejiang Province, deputy director of the Municipal Overseas Compatriot Affairs Office, and secretary general of the Overseas Compatriot Federation of Zhejiang Province.
Liu Zheng, 67, a former member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Anhui Institute of Science and Technology, died on Oct. 8 due to illness. Liu was the dean of the Institute of Plant Science at Anhui University of Science and Technology.
Zhao Renjia, born in 1941, a former deputy secretary of the Datong Municipal Party Committee in Shanxi Province, died on Oct. 4 due to illness. Zhao was the director of the Research Office of the Discipline Inspection Commission of Shanxi Province, secretary of the Party Committee of the Coal Management Bureau and Coal Company of Yanbei District, member of the Yanbei District Committee, and secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission and director of the Supervisory Commission of Datong City, and vice secretary of the Central Committee of Datong City.
Chen Yulan, born in 1941, a former vice chairman of the Political Consultative Conference of Jimo City, Shandong Province, and former secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jifa Group, died on Oct. 1 due to illness.
Wang Duo, born in 1927, a former member of the Party Committee and deputy director of the Anhui Provincial Coal Industry Department, died on Oct. 1 due to illness. He had been enjoying medical reimbursement treatment at the vice-provincial level in his lifetime.
Fang Bingjun, born in 1935, former chairman of the Political Consultative Conference of Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, died on Oct. 1 due to illness. Fang served as deputy secretary and director of the Shijiazhuang Municipal Bureau of Medicine, party secretary and director of the Municipal Economic Commission, member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, secretary of the Discipline Inspection Committee, standing deputy mayor, chairman of the Municipal Committee of the Political Consultative Conference.
Zheng Xianjing, born in 1940, former member of the Standing Committee of the Anhui Provincial People’s Congress, former director of the Standing Committee of the Tongling Municipal People’s Congress, and secretary of the Party Committee, died on Sept. 28 due to illness. Zheng had served as deputy director of the Organization Department of the Tongling Municipal Party Committee, standing committee member of the Tongling Municipal Party Committee, secretary general of the Municipal Party Committee, deputy secretary of the Tongling Municipal Party Committee, and head of the Party School of the Municipal Party Committee, director of the Standing Committee of the Tongling Municipal People’s Congress, party secretary, and a member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of Anhui Province.
Xu Rongxuan, born in 1945, a former member of the Party Committee, deputy director of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture, and former director of the Sichuan Provincial Administration of Cultural Relics, died on Sept. 27 due to illness.
Tang Xianmei, born in 1929, wife of former Defense Minister Qin Jiwei, died on Sept. 24 due to illness. Tang worked at the Yunnan Provincial Public Security Department, the Intermediate Party School of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee, the Yunnan Communist Youth League Provincial Committee, the Sichuan Provincial High Court, and Xinhua News Agency.
