Cai Qi and Wang Xiaohong serve as Xi Jinping's gatekeepers. (Composite image)
[People News] On November 6, during Xi Jinping's visit to Hainan for reports and the commissioning ceremony of the 'Fujian Ship', Wang Xiaohong, the Minister of Public Security of the Communist Party of China, who was also promoted by Xi, was notably absent from his side. It wasn't until the opening ceremony of the National Games in Guangzhou on November 9 that Wang Xiaohong made his appearance.
According to the official website of the Ministry of Public Security, from November 6 to 8, Wang Xiaohong was in Shandong and Jiangsu to promote the spirit of the 20th Central Committee's Fourth Plenary Session and conduct research. The report's opening paragraph highlighted that Wang emphasised the need to 'deeply understand' Xi's speech, mentioning the 'two establishments' and 'two safeguards'.
Previously, from October 26 to 27, Wang Xiaohong visited Guangdong for research, primarily to inspect security measures for the National Games. The first paragraph of that report contained similar language, but the second paragraph included a call for police officers to 'align their thoughts and actions with the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee', a statement that was absent during his promotion in Shandong and Jiangsu.
On October 24, the Party Committee of the Ministry of Public Security held an expanded meeting to convey the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session. The first paragraph of both reports stressed that 'learning and implementing the spirit of the plenary session should be treated as a major political task for the present and future', and 'effectively unify thoughts and actions with the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee'. The second paragraph mentioned 'upholding the Party's absolute leadership' and subsequently referred to the 'two establishments' and 'two safeguards'. Notably, throughout the entire report, there was no mention of Xi Jinping.
Isn't it somewhat odd that a Minister of Public Security repeatedly promotes Xi in local areas, yet his name is conspicuously absent from the reports of the Ministry of Public Security's Party Committee meeting?
Additionally, as per convention, the head of a department is expected to deliver a speech or report on the spirit of the plenary session within their supervisory system. For instance, Zhang Jun from the Supreme Court and Ying Yong from the Supreme Procuratorate have both made recent statements. Moreover, on November 3, the Military Daily reported that Zhang Youxia, a member of the Central Propaganda Team, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, presented a report on the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session at the Military Commission's headquarters.
On July 31, 2024, Wang Xiaohong, as a member of the Central Propaganda Team, delivered a report to the public security system. In the second paragraph, after referring to 'two four four two', Wang Xiaohong emphasised, 'We must effectively align our thoughts and actions with the decisions and directives of the Party Central Committee.'
Following the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2022, Wang Xiaohong spoke at a national teleconference on learning, promoting, and implementing the spirit of the 20th National Congress held on November 1. Besides mentioning 'two four four two', he also asserted, 'We must effectively unify the thoughts and actions of the entire police force with the spirit of the 20th National Congress,' filled with praise for Xi.
Traditionally, Wang Xiaohong would have been expected to give a report or make a speech after the Fourth Plenary Session. However, based on his recent activities and reports from the Ministry of Public Security meetings, it seems that he may have been deprived of his authority to publicly promote within the entire public security system, or his speeches have been minimised. Consequently, Wang Xiaohong can only make appearances in local areas or be dispatched to localities to discuss how to learn the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session and demonstrate his loyalty to Xi.
Wang Xiaohong's current situation can be understood as a reflection of the fact that, despite holding the title of Minister of Public Security, he may, like Xi, possess a title without real power, which has been diminished or taken away. This suggests that actual authority within the Ministry of Public Security is now held by someone else.
Signs of Wang Xiaohong's loss of power have been evident for some time. On April 16 of this year, Xu Ganlu was dismissed from his role as Deputy Minister of Public Security and Director of the National Immigration Administration, with Wang Zhizhong stepping in; on July 9, Yang Weilin was appointed as Deputy Minister of Public Security, while Deputy Ministers Chen Siyuan and Sun Maoli were removed from their positions; on July 21, Ling Zhifeng, a member of the Ministry of Public Security's Party Committee and Director of the Political Department, was promoted to Deputy Minister of Public Security and Director of the Special Police Bureau. In September, Jia Lijun was appointed as a member of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Public Security and Director of the Political Department.
As it stands, the nine senior officials listed on the Ministry of Public Security's official website include Minister Wang Xiaohong, Executive Deputy Minister Qi Yanjun, Discipline Inspection Secretary Ren Airong, and Deputy Ministers Xu Datong, Wang Zhizhong, Ling Zhifeng, Yue Xiuhu (Counter-Terrorism Commissioner), Jia Lijun, and Yang Weilin. Xu Datong and Ling Zhifeng were appointed as Deputy Ministers and Directors of the Political Department in March 2023, having previously served as Deputy Governor of Shaanxi Province and Director of the Public Security Department, and Vice Chairman of the Guangxi Government and Director of the Public Security Department, respectively, replacing Du Hangwei and Feng Yan.
The dismissed officials Xu Ganlu, Chen Siyuan, and Sun Maoli are generally seen as part of Xi's faction, either closely aligned with it or connected to Wang Xiaohong, who is a trusted ally of Xi within the Ministry of Public Security. The backgrounds of the newly appointed senior officials in the Ministry of Public Security suggest that they do not belong to the 'Xi family army,' or are not genuinely part of it.
As Wang Xiaohong finds himself increasingly sidelined, it is highly likely that his power will be diminished or even stripped away. Initially, he was expected to deliver speeches at the Ministry of Public Security, but now he can only make appearances at the local level, which underscores this reality. It remains uncertain whether Wang, fully aware of the circumstances, is visiting local areas to publicly express loyalty to Xi Jinping as a way to vent his dissatisfaction, or if he is simply playing along with the Communist Party's narrative. In either case, this situation highlights that the power transitions within the upper ranks of the Communist Party are still in progress.
(First published by People News)△
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