Photo Caption: Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang (second from left) at the closing ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Former President Hu Jintao was forcibly escorted out early. The congress concluded at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where Xi was expected to secure his third term. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
[People News] In a recent report by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) state media on the opening of the 2025 Lujiazui Forum in Shanghai, it was striking to observers that Hu Haifeng—the son of former CCP leader Hu Jintao—attended the opening ceremony and unveiled the plaque for the China Capital Market Society. His appearance came at a sensitive moment, amid widespread rumours that Xi Jinping has lost power and that former CCP elders such as Wen Jiabao and Hu Jintao, along with Zhang Youxia, have assumed real control. This context has drawn significant attention to Hu Haifeng’s presence at the event.
According to state media: “At the opening ceremony of the 2025 Lujiazui Forum, Chen Jining, member of the CCP Politburo and Shanghai Party Secretary; Wang Jiang, deputy director of the Central Financial Work Office; Wu Qing, Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission; Gong Zheng, Mayor of Shanghai; and Hu Haifeng, Vice Minister of Civil Affairs, jointly unveiled the plaque for the China Capital Market Society.”
Commenting on Hu Haifeng’s appearance, political commentator Wu Jianmin analysed on his YouTube program that this financial investment forum is a highly specialised event attended by major figures from China’s financial, investment, and banking sectors. He questioned, “What does the Ministry of Civil Affairs have to do with this? What kind of signal is being sent by Hu Haifeng showing up at such an event?”
Wu believes that Chen Jining—Shanghai Party Secretary and a trusted protégé of Xi Jinping—was the first to defect and betray him. According to Wu, Chen Jining has chosen to side with Hu Jintao and Hu Haifeng, effectively distancing himself from Xi Jinping.
Former Hong Kong Wen Wei Po Northeast Bureau Chief Jiang Weiping described the report as “earth-shattering.” He believes the report signals that Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao have already regained control of power, further confirming that Xi Jinping has lost his grip on leadership.
Jiang explained that when the Chinese Communist Party holds an official event, everything is meticulously arranged—who cuts the ribbon, who stands in the front row, and the order in which names appear in reports all carry political significance. “If an unimportant figure is placed ahead of someone significant, it spells trouble—at best, you’ll be dismissed and investigated; at worst, you could face prison.”
Chen Jining is the Party Secretary of Shanghai. “Hu Haifeng is only a deputy minister at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, yet he participated in the unveiling ceremony—because he is Hu Jintao’s son,” Jiang said. He argued that if Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao no longer held any power, there’s no way Chen Jining would allow Hu Haifeng such public exposure through this event.
Wu Jianmin added that during Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign in his first term, countless officials were purged. Over Xi’s 13 years in power, more than a thousand provincial- and ministerial-level posts became vacant. Xi filled them all with his own loyalists—he never once considered Hu Jintao’s son.
It wasn’t until March 2013, when Hu Jintao formally stepped down at the National People’s Congress, that Hu Haifeng was appointed deputy Party Secretary of Jiaxing City in Zhejiang Province, a sub-provincial (vice bureau-level) position. In 2016, he became the acting mayor of Jiaxing at the full bureau level. After Xi’s first term, he amended the constitution in 2018 to allow himself to rule indefinitely. Only then was Hu Haifeng promoted to Party Secretary of Lishui City in Zhejiang, still at bureau level. Hu Haifeng is now 46 years old. In 2024, he finally became a deputy minister at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and even then, the lowest-ranked one. By contrast, Hu Jintao was already a member of the Politburo Standing Committee—a state-level position—at age 49.
Wu believes Xi’s decision to block Hu’s rise was ungrateful toward Hu Jintao, who had groomed him for succession. He says Hu Jintao must be displeased. Many officials are now aligning with the Hu faction, joining the anti-Xi camp. By inviting Hu Haifeng to the forum and giving him visible roles, Chen Jining is emphasising loyalty to Hu Jintao—and turning away from Xi.
Last year, at the Third Plenum, rumours circulated that during Xi’s illness, a new leadership list emerged naming Chen Jining as the next General Secretary.
Earlier leaks suggested new personnel arrangements in Zhongnanhai: Ding Xuexiang to succeed Xi as General Secretary; Chen Jining as Premier; Li Qiang as Chair of the National People’s Congress; and Zhang Guoqing as Executive Vice Premier.
Chen Jining is a key member of the “Tsinghua faction,” promoted by Xi's confidant Chen Xi. He worked with fellow Tsinghua alumnus Li Ganjie in the Ministry of Environmental Protection. He also partnered with Cai Qi—head of Xi’s Shanghai group—serving in Beijing for over five years. After the 20th Party Congress, Chen took charge of Shanghai, linking up with both old and new Shanghai factions. His triple-faction background may position him as a central figure in the top-level personnel power game.
(First published by People News)
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