The political scene in Beijing is interestingly unstable ahead of the Communist Party of China's (CCP) 16th National Congress. There has been a dispute inside the CCP over whether Chinese President Jiang Zemin (
Jiang reached his lowest ebb at the National Day celebration party on the night of Sept. 30, looking extremely serious the whole evening. Perhaps what upset him was the arrest of Zhao An (
Zhao is a favorite of Zeng Qinghuai (曾慶淮), the younger brother of Zeng Qinghong (曾慶紅) -- Jiang's closest aid who heads the party's Organization Department. More importantly, Zhao plays a central role in some interesting rumors about Jiang.
Zhao is the general-director of CCTV's annual Spring Festival Party -- China's most popular TV program. He has made a fortune out of the show since he was the one who decided who could perform on the program. The artist most in the limelight is Song Zuying (
However, on Oct. 8, Zhao appeared back on CCTV again with the Xinhua News Agency publishing a commentary article on the same day promoting unity and stability. But on Oct. 12, Zhao was arrested again. Can the first arrest be interpreted as an attempt to dig out Jiang's secret from Zhao's in the name of anti-corruption and the second other people's protection of him? The problem is, who would be able to organize Zhao's release? Were military troops used? Was there some kind of hostage exchange?
According to the latest issue of the Hong Kong-based Open Magazine, the investigation into the corruption case of Wang Huaizhong (
Although the case was finally closed last month, Jiang's sister's part has not yet been investigated. In response, the president immediately transferred Huang Ju (黃菊), the secretary of the CCP's Shanghai Municipal Committee, to Beijing and may appoint him as the new secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection to protect the safety of his family.
After that, the president's luck took a turn for the better. Another favored subordinate, Jia Qinglin (
No wonder Jiang said that "everything is okay" during his US trip.
Paul Lin is a political commentator based in New York.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
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