Xi’s close aides move into position

Xi’s close aides move into position
Mary Ma
Monday, January 20, 2014
The National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference will convene their annual meetings next month, offering more insight into Beijing’s changing politics.In the Communist Party’s third plenum last year, it was decided to set up two powerful committees. One was given the responsibility of deepening reforms. It’s expected this committee’s lineup will be among the agenda topics.

As the premier, Li Keqiang had been expected to play an important role there. But the latest talk is that he won’t. Instead, Politburo Standing Committee member Wang Qishan will be President Xi Jinping’s top deputy in the group – even though he ranks second to last among the seven members.

If confirmed, that would be shocking.

Since assuming power, Xi has been boosting his authority with a vigorous crackdown on corrupt cadres. If past party leaderships were identified by a presidential and premier partnership – as in Jiang Zemin-Zhu Rongji and Hu Jintao-Wen Jiabao, the current one sees Li playing a quiet role further in the background.

The committee is expected to oversee reforms in areas ranging from politics, to military, economy, culture, social and environment. Apart from the military, aren’t the rest supposed to be all part of the State Council’s work?

If the rumors turn out to be true at the NPC and CPPCC sessions, it will only intensify speculation that Li is being sidelined.

After Xi, Wang is arguably the most reported standing committee member. Put in charge of the corruption crackdown, Wang is also a known expert on economics and finance.

Over the weekend, there was another intriguing incident. In his newspaper column, former NPC deputy Ng Hong-man published a letter from Wen, in which the former premier pleaded his innocence over claims his family amassed a huge fortune during his decade in power.

“I have never been involved, and would not get involved, in one single deal of abusing my power for personal gain, because no such gains whatsoever could shake my convictions,” Wen wrote. “I want to walk the last journey in this world well. I came to this with bare hands, and I want to leave this world clean.”

What’s intriguing wasn’t Wen’s proclamation of innocence – since he already did that when The New York Times ran its expose about his relatives’ involvement in the Ping An Insurance saga.

Instead, it was the fact Wen had to rely on the foreign media to make his voice heard inside the mainland. His plea of innocence ramped up discussions on the internet – some favoring him, but more expressing doubts.

Why couldn’t Wen speak directly to the mainland media to state his case?

Among all former state leaders, Wen may be the one appearing in public the most. If the traditional political wisdom still prevails, he should be safe.

But as political rules are being rewritten in Beijing, it’s doubtful whether traditional wisdom is still valid.