Once Seen as Potential CCP Leader, Chen Min’er in Trouble as Confidant Faces Disciplinary Action

Chen Min’er, the then secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee and member of the 18th Central Committee, attends the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on March 3, 2019. Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images

The recent downfall of a provincial-level official in China has caught the attention of political analysts because the official is known as a close confidant of Chen Min’er, a member of the Politburo who currently serves as the party chief of Tianjin.

In the infighting history of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), it is a common practice for a power struggle to start with an intimate subordinate of the targeted high-ranking official.