Closure of Chinese Maoist Website Indicates Power Struggle Within CCP, Expert Says

Chinese youths walk past several dazibaos, the revolutionary placards, during the Cultural Revolution in downtown Beijing in February 1967. AFP via Getty Images

A Chinese Maoist website announced on Feb. 20 that it was shutting down after being notified by authorities. Although the reason behind the closure is unknown, a China expert suggests that the political influence of Maoists poses a threat to the rule of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The Maoist website mzdbl.cn, founded in 2004, announced on Tuesday that it would close down due to a notice from “relevant authorities,” who deemed the information on the site “unsuitable for dissemination.”