Purge Politics in Communist China
By: Kapil Yadav
Tags: Taiwan, China, Communism, Xi Jinping, Purge

Xi Jinping

Pre-Requisites

Communism has thrived and survived for so many decades on the back of violence and suppression. Be it the Gulags in Russia, the education camps in China, or the prevailing situations in North Korea and Venezuela, Communism has distinguished itself as a lurking evil that threatens the world.

China is no stranger to purges and political violence and in fact, a case may be made that it is China which every wanna-be dictator seeks to emulate. Starting with Mao, China has long had a habit of crushing dissent and purging political opposition.1 But, with the onset of liberalization, China had taken a step back from it’s most controversial policies in order to live up to Deng Xiaoping’s ideology of ‘Hide your Strength, Bide your Time’. That is no longer the case.2

It is one man and one man alone who is leading China and consequently, the world towards instability, and his name is Xi Jinping. Xi is a career Communist and has risen within the Party as ruthlessly and cunningly as is to be expected from the leader of the Chinese Communist Party. It is easier to look at the CCP as a pit of snakes, all willing to swallow the other to achieve their personal goals.

Xi has perfected the system of surveillance in China and The Great Firewall is a prime example of this.3 In ominous moves, he has declared himself the President for life by removing term limits and has further spread his stranglehold on China. He has begun indoctrination programs by means of introducing “Xi Jinping Thought” in the State curriculum and by demanding absolute loyalty to him and him alone.4

The reign of Xi has been synonymous with political retribution, espionage, and convenient “confessions” by political opponents.

Purge

The lack of elections mandates that the Chinese Communist Party must nominate its leadership on its own and this sets off a race for influence and power by any means necessary. Xi came out on top in 2013 and followed up his inauguration by consolidating the government machinery. Just how bloody the Cultural Revolution was, Xi’s purges are efficient and that is what makes him all the more dangerous.5

Since 2013, Xi has used his “Anti Corruption” agenda to get rid of all those he believes to be a threat to his hold on power. China systematically purges its government, military, and other services of any who are suspected of dissent in the name of ideological purity. Taking advantage of inequality in China, Xi used the resentment the people held towards rich officials to remove them from power and entrench himself on the throne.6

Such rivals find their assets seized, their families under surveillance, and a sabbatical from the public eye. The most daring of such moves came in 2017 when Xi disappeared senior military Generals and charged them with corruption. This move further extended his control of the military and cut off more avenues of rebellion. The Central Military Commission was short sized and populated with Xi loyalists.7

Xi fashions his rule as the second coming of Mao and is hellbent on walking on his path. In the wake of the coronavirus, Xi sees an opportunity to crown himself Emperor and he is making use of this by purging the topmost officials and personalities, thus putting out a message that no one is safe. Ren Zhiqiang and Jack Ma are the latest rendition of this purge and go on to say that in China, Xi is the Supreme Leader.8,9

What Next?

With Apple and other major corporations leading a mass exodus of industry from China, Xi is looking at a few years of instability and job losses.10 Being a tyrant, he has all the more reasons to be afraid of his people. This fear will lead him down a path that will spell death and despair. Having committed multiple atrocities to maintain power, relinquishing it is never as easy as stepping aside after an electoral loss.

The Ladakh confrontation, Taiwan Crisis, and the pushback from the Pandemic are setting the stage for confrontations and conflicts not seen in decades. For it is Mao that said “Political Power grows out of the Barrel of a Gun”.11

Sources

1. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/11/the-cultural-revolution-50-years-on-all-you-need-to-know-about-chinas-political-convulsion

2. https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/emperor-xis-china-done-biding-its-time

3. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jun/29/the-great-firewall-of-china-xi-jinpings-internet-shutdown

4. https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/voa-news-china/china-pushes-xi-jinping-thought-part-college-education

5. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-41670162

6. https://in.reuters.com/article/us-china-corruption-xi-insight/chinas-xi-purging-corrupt-officials-to-put-own-men-in-place-sources-idUSBREA3F1UT20140417

7. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/11/world/asia/xi-jinping-military-china-purge.html

8. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/22/world/asia/china-ren-zhiqiang-tycoon.html

9. https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/billionaire-jack-ma-hasnt-been-seen-in-2-months-heres-what-happened-to-other-chinese-businessmen-who-mysteriously-disappeared-after-sparring-with-regulators-/articleshow/80104551.cms

10. https://www.forbes.com/sites/princeghosh/2020/09/18/the-exodus-of-chinese-manufacturing-shutting-down-the-worlds-factory/?sh=705e2b04c2f2

11. https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1751853