The Xi Jinping administration has been purging the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Recently, the Ministry of Public Security has been accused of not being strong enough in correcting the “four winds” problem, and Zhao Kezhi, the Communist Party’s Minister of Public Security, has taken the lead to make an inspection. The Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi took the lead to make a check.
The official media disclosed that on March 27, the Ministry of Public Security held a special democratic Life meeting on inspection and rectification, focusing on purging the influence of Zhou Yongkang’s residual poison and Meng Hongwei and Sun Lijun, and carrying out “criticism and self-criticism”.
The Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi presided over the meeting, the State Supervision Commission of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Organization Department of the CPC, the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the CPC, the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Organs Work Committee and other institutions “to guide the meeting”.
The three “tigers” mentioned at the meeting: Zhou Yongkang, former secretary of the CCP’s Political and Legal Committee, was sentenced to life in 2015 for bribery, abuse of power and intentional disclosure of state secrets; Meng Hongwei, former member of the Party Committee and vice minister of the Ministry of Public Security, was sentenced to 13 and a half years for bribery in January 2020; and Sun Lijun, former member of the Party Committee and vice minister of the Ministry of Public Security, fell on April 19 of the same year. The former Party Committee member and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Security Sun Lijun fell on April 19 of the same year.
Zhao Kezhi stressed at the meeting to “focus on rectifying the persistent miasma and chronic diseases, and resolutely remove the black sheep.” He also specifically asked the chief officials at all levels to take the lead in rectifying the situation.
In the case of Sun Lijun, Zhao Kezhi said, from the “ideological, political, organizational, style” on the Sun Lijun poisonous influence to carry out a comprehensive clean-up and rectification, in order to remove the disloyal and dishonest “two-faced people”.
Earlier, in early February, the first inspection group of the Central Committee gave feedback to the Ministry of Public Security on its inspection, also mentioned that the Ministry of Public Security had not done enough to clean up the influence of Zhou Yongkang, Meng Hongwei, Sun Lijun and other residual poison. The Ministry of Public Security is not strong enough to correct the “four winds”, especially the problem of formalism and bureaucratism.
In fact, since Xi Jinping came to power in the 18th Communist Party Congress, there has been an uninterrupted purge of the political and legal systems, especially the Ministry of Public Security.
Among them are Li Dongsheng, former deputy party secretary and vice minister of the CCP’s Ministry of Public Security, who received a 15-year sentence; Wu Changshun, former director of the Tianjin Municipal Public Security Bureau, who was sentenced to a suspended death sentence and life imprisonment; He Ting, former director of the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau, who was demoted to a non-leadership position at the deputy division level; and Xia Chongyuan, former member of the Party Committee and director of the Political Department of the Ministry of Public Security, who was demoted to a non-leadership position at the deputy bureau level, among others.
In 2020, Chen Xinxin, a close associate of Xi Jinping and secretary-general of the Central Committee of Political and Legal Affairs, issued another statement to “clear out the black sheep” and investigate the “two-faced people”.
In April of the same year, Sun Lijun, former Vice Minister of Public Security, was investigated; in June, Deng Zuling, former Vice Mayor of Chongqing and former Director of the Public Security Bureau, was investigated; in August, Gong Daogan, former Vice Mayor of Shanghai and former Director of the Public Security Bureau, was investigated; and Meng Qingfeng, Vice Minister of Public Security, was removed from his post.
Sun Lijun was once Meng Jianzhu’s secretary and was promoted by Meng to become the director of the First Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Security, etc. Deng Cullin, who served as the director of the Central Committee of Political and Legal Affairs, and was considered Meng Jianzhu’s chief butler, was formally arrested on January 22, 2021.
Gong Daogan was also one of Meng Jianzhu’s close associates and was promoted by Meng. During Meng Jianzhu’s tenure as CCP Minister of Public Security from 2007 to 2012, Gong Daogan was transferred to the position of Deputy Director of the 12th Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security and later promoted to the position of Director of the 12th Bureau.
After the fall of Sun Lijun, Deng Guolin and Gong Daogan, the Internet was abuzz with news of Meng’s hospitalization and control. However, Meng Jianzhu appeared at the 11th reception held by the CCP at the Great Hall in Beijing last year. Analysis suggests that even if Meng Jianzhu shows up, it does not mean that he will land safely.
Li Linyi, a scholar of Chinese issues, said that the Chinese Communist Party authorities are taking the same approach to Meng Jianzhu as they did to Zhou Yongkang, that is, arresting his men who are close to Meng Jianzhu first, and then possibly arresting Meng Jianzhu after they have the evidence.
Li Linyi said that on Jan. 5, at the plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Xi Jinping said that “corruption in politics and law will be punished severely,” but in fact, the order was given to Meng Jianzhu’s group to track him down.
Li Linyi said that the provincial public security department chiefs and political and legal committee secretaries are now on the edge of their seats because many of them were promoted by Meng Jianzhu when he was in power. The Ministry of Public Security is the same, and is also sending a signal to track down Meng Jianzhu’s forces within public security to the end.
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