“Not Taking a Thread or Needle from the People,” Yet Two Provincial Deputies Demand the People’s Wealth

Gold illustration.(Chen Bozhou/Dajiyuan)

[People News] "Not taking a single thread or needle from the people" was a slogan used by the CCP in its early years to deceive the public and gain popular support, and it’s a mantra that corrupt officials often repeat to mask their actions. Chen Jixing, former Vice Chairman of the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress, was one such official, known for often talking about his "clean and disciplined" record to show how he upheld the "Three Major Disciplines and Eight Points for Attention."

On November 12, the Intermediate People’s Court in Guilin sentenced Chen Jixing to death with a two-year reprieve. He was convicted of accepting bribes amounting to nearly 280 million yuan (the “people’s currency”), fined 200,000 yuan, and had all personal assets confiscated.

Chen, now 70 and retired for five years, served 25 years in the Guangdong Finance Department, rising to Director in 1998—a position that gave him control over significant financial resources. He later served as Party Secretary of Jiangmen and Vice Chairman of the Guangdong Provincial People’s Congress. He was investigated in July 2023.

The court revealed that even after retirement, Chen used his remaining influence to conduct further transactions worth over 1.15 million yuan in bribes. Though his crimes warranted a death sentence, he received leniency due to his voluntary confession and cooperation, which reportedly aided in solving other cases.

The authorities did not disclose the details of the cases Chen helped resolve. Analysts speculate that Chen likely offered information on "political rivals" that the authorities could leverage for control.

Chen Jixing is the fifth high-ranking provincial official since October to be sentenced to a suspended death sentence. The previous four include: Sun Zhigang, former Governor and Party Secretary of Guizhou Province (over 813 million yuan in bribes); Wang Dawei, former Vice Governor and Public Security Director of Liaoning Province (over 555 million yuan); Jiang Jie, former Vice Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region Political Consultative Conference (over 225 million yuan); and Fan Yifei, former Deputy Governor of the People's Bank of China (over 386 million yuan).

Recently, another official similar to Chen faced heavy punishment. Wang Xuefeng, former Vice Chairman of the Hebei Provincial People's Congress, also known for his “clean” image, was sentenced to 18 years in prison by the Taiyuan Intermediate People's Court in Shanxi. Wang was accused of accepting bribes worth 88 million yuan and fined 8.4 million yuan.

Wang Xuefeng had also held positions involving financial oversight in Hebei Province. According to the court, he voluntarily disclosed unreported bribes and provided information on other major cases, leading to a reduced sentence.

Analysts suggest that Wang, like Chen, likely betrayed colleagues or implicated other corrupt officials, making him a useful "weapon" for authorities in political battles.

Some analysts, however, view this as a broader issue within the CCP. Despite portraying themselves as representatives of the working class, corrupt CCP officials like these collect bribes amounting to hundreds of millions. They flaunt a facade of integrity, often preaching “service to the people” while secretly serving their own interests. Their downfall is often due to political missteps, misplaced loyalties, or because they are sacrificed when the CCP needs funds. No matter how careful Party officials are, they remain under the control of the Party apparatus. One charge of “disloyalty” is enough to ruin them, leading to the ironic reality that years of accumulating wealth through exploiting the people can be lost to the Party in an instant.

The slogan “not taking a thread or needle from the people” originated from the CCP’s “Three Major Disciplines and Eight Points for Attention” during their guerrilla days in the Republic of China. At that time, the so-called “proletarian” Communist forces often kidnapped wealthy people, stole food, looted money, and took women by force, all while claiming to uphold a moral standard.

The so-called discipline also included absurd slogans such as “don’t take anything from workers or peasants,” “redistribute wealth,” “pay for what you take,” “return what you borrow,” “compensate for any damage,” “don’t hit or insult people,” “don’t destroy crops,” and “don’t harass women.” Yet the astronomical bribes taken by high-ranking officials today, combined with brutal forced demolitions, property seizures, and rampant corruption, starkly contrast these so-called “disciplines and attentions.”

Instead of being merely ironic, these slogans are an eerie reminder of the CCP’s history of seizing wealth under the guise of “redistribution.” In reality, how much of the confiscated wealth was actually “returned to the people” or genuinely used for public welfare? Who really knows?