Xi Jinping’s Close Aide Went to Plane Crash Site, Military Dispatched to Assist Emergency Processing

Rescue workers search for the black boxes after a China Eastern flight 5735 carrying 123 passengers and 9 crew members crashed outside the city of Wuzhou, Guangxi Province, on March 22, 2022. Zhou Hua/Xinhua via AP

News Analysis

After a China Eastern Airlines plane crashed in southern China, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, who has never been involved in disaster handling before, went to the site overnight, and the Chinese military and armed police were quickly dispatched to assist in the rescue efforts. Some analysts believe that these are moves that suggest that Beijing’s top officials are guarding against one another.