Another Xi Ally Demoted; CCP Media Shows “Most Brazen Backhanded Praise”

On October 29, 2024, the CCP’s training program for provincial and ministerial-level cadres began at the Central Party School, where Miao Hua appeared on CCTV with a seemingly furrowed brow. (Video screenshot)

[November 12, 2024] Recently, a member of Xi Jinping's faction, former Secretary of the CCP Zhejiang Provincial Committee Yi Lianhong, was abruptly transferred to the CCP National People’s Congress Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, indicating he has been sidelined. Political analysts suggest this personnel change reflects Xi Jinping's current unfavorable political situation and signals his diminished ability to protect his close allies, marking a political setback.

At the same time, the CCP announced the winners of the "34th China Journalism Award," with almost all major awards going to works related to Xi Jinping. Analysts believe this arrangement may not actually benefit Xi but rather appears clumsy, perceived as the most brazen “backhanded praise” tactic in years.

On November 8, the 12th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress concluded in Beijing, appointing Yi Lianhong as the Deputy Director of the National People’s Congress Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, marking his official retreat from frontline politics.

Yi Lianhong is a member of the 19th Central Committee alternate members and a member of the 20th Central Committee, previously serving as the CCP Secretary for Zhejiang Province. On October 28, the CCP suddenly announced that Yi would no longer serve as Zhejiang’s Party Secretary, with Zhejiang Governor Wang Hao assuming the role.

Public records show that Yi Lianhong, now 65, is from Loudi, Hunan. Starting in November 2011, Yi held various positions, including member of the Hunan Provincial Standing Committee, Secretary of the Yueyang Municipal Committee, Secretary of the Changsha Municipal Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Liaoning Provincial Committee, and Secretary of the Shenyang Municipal Committee. In July 2018, Yi was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee, then Acting Governor of Jiangxi in August, and later Governor in October. In October 2021, he became Secretary of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee, and in December 2022, he was transferred to Zhejiang as Party Secretary, holding the position until this October.

Yi frequently praised Xi Jinping in public. At the recent Zhejiang provincial leadership meeting where his appointment was announced, Yi highlighted that Zhejiang was a place where Xi had worked for many years and a significant birthplace of “Xi Jinping Thought.” He also expressed his firm support for the political slogans “Two Establishes” and “Two Safeguards,” which uphold Xi’s core position within the Party.

During his tenure in Jiangxi, Yi even published an article in the CCP mouthpiece People’s Daily, claiming that “Two Safeguards” should be “integrated into the bloodline and cast into the soul.”

Analysis: Yi Lianhong’s Demotion Reflects Xi’s Political Setback

Since the 18th National Congress, CCP officials who have served as Zhejiang Provincial Party Secretaries include Xia Baolong, Che Jun, Yuan Jiajun, Yi Lianhong, and Wang Hao. Yuan Jiajun is currently a member of the Politburo and Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Committee. Xia Baolong is Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office. Che Jun is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Director of the Population, Resources, and Environment Committee.

U.S.-based political analyst Chen Pokong believes that Yi Lianhong’s sudden transfer to the position of Deputy Director of the National People’s Congress Financial and Economic Affairs Committee is neither a typical transfer nor a retirement arrangement. In an interview with Epoch Times, Chen stated that Zhejiang is a major economic province and political stronghold of the CCP, where Xi’s power base originated. Therefore, Xi places particular importance on the selection of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Secretary.

Chen noted that Yi Lianhong was appointed Zhejiang Party Secretary in December 2022, with a typical five-year term. However, he suddenly stepped down on October 28 this year, without even completing two years in office. Chen believes this was clearly not Xi’s intention—under Xi’s plan, Yi was expected to be promoted to the Politburo and potentially reach a vice-national or even national-level position. However, Yi’s sudden reassignment as a Deputy Director in the National People’s Congress reveals he has been purged.

Chen contends that this purge likely did not come from Xi but from anti-Xi factions, reflecting a political defeat for Xi and indicating that he can no longer protect his allies.

Two Former Provincial Party Secretaries Demoted to National People’s Congress This Year

So far this year, two former CCP provincial party secretaries have been transferred to positions within the National People's Congress. Besides Yi Lianhong, former Party Secretary of Zhejiang, this also includes Jing Junhai, former Party Secretary of Jilin.

On September 13, Jing Junhai was appointed Deputy Director of the NPC Education, Science, Culture, and Public Health Committee, sparking widespread speculation.

Jing Junhai spent much of his career in Shaanxi and moved to Beijing in 2015, where he successively held positions as Deputy Minister of the CCP Central Propaganda Department, Deputy Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Jilin Provincial Committee, and Governor of Jilin. In 2020, he became Party Secretary of Jilin. Jing has long been seen as a close ally of Xi Jinping. While working in Shaanxi, he promoted the expansion of Xi Jinping’s father, Xi Zhongxun’s, relatively small cemetery into a grand memorial site.

In June this year, Jing stepped down as Jilin Party Secretary. The official CCP announcement stated that Jing would no longer hold this position, adding that he had “other appointments.”

At the time, some analysts suggested that Jing still had a promising political future, possibly even advancing to the Politburo or Central Secretariat. However, this sudden sidelining of a high-ranking official known for his loyalty to Xi, just short of the official retirement age of 65 for full ministers, came as a surprise.

In an interview with Epoch Times, political analyst Chen Pokong noted that this move is also a maneuver by anti-Xi factions. During the CCP’s 20th Central Committee’s Third Plenum in July, there were rumors that Xi Jinping had suffered a stroke or a serious illness. Although Xi has continued his activities, anti-Xi forces have significantly intensified their pressure on his allies since the plenum, weakening Xi’s power.

CCP Media Engages in “Most Brazen Backhanded Praise”

Just one day before Yi Lianhong’s transfer to the National People’s Congress was announced, on November 7, the All-China Journalists Association released the results of the 34th China Journalism Awards. The list of winning works showed that almost all top awards went to news reports related to Xi Jinping.

The special prize list featured four awards, with the top prize going to the report titled “Xi Jinping Unanimously Elected as China’s President and Chairman of the Central Military Commission,” followed by other reports focused on Xi Jinping.

Of the 75 first prizes, the top entry was a report on “Xi Jinping Holds U.S.-China Summit with the U.S. President.” Other awarded reports included “The People’s Choice: Written on the Occasion of Xi Jinping’s Unanimous Election as President and Chairman of the Central Military Commission.” Among the second prizes, one award went to a feature report about Xi Jinping’s “Unconventional Selection of Talented People.”

Chen Pokong commented that this list of winning works has garnered attention, but it likely won’t have any positive effect for Xi Jinping and instead appears clumsy. Those familiar with CCP internal dynamics might interpret this as a form of “backhanded praise.”

Chen noted that Xi Jinping has control over “the pen” (propaganda), with Politburo Standing Committee member Cai Qi overseeing the propaganda apparatus. Since the Journalism Awards are ideologically driven, Cai Qi directed this operation.

Chen proposed two possible explanations. First, this could be at Xi Jinping’s direction. Although Xi has lost some military control, he still holds influence over the propaganda machinery, so he might have directed Cai Qi to promote him in this way.

The second possibility, Chen speculated, is that rumors about Cai Qi’s shaky political future have recently intensified. Chen suggested that, being in an unfavorable position, Cai Qi might be trying to flatter Xi to secure his political safety. Alternatively, Cai Qi could be undertaking a calculated move, engaging in “backhanded praise” to fuel further resentment and disapproval of Xi within the Party.

Chen concluded that Cai Qi orchestrated the most brazen act of “backhanded praise” in years, stating, “There has never been a case of backhanded praise more extreme, outrageous, or high-level than this.”

Edited by Lian Shuhua