Proving his own paranoia, Chinese President Xi Jinping has reacted ferociously to being described as a clown.
As the Chinese Communist Party’s discipline bureau, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, is responsible for enforcing Xi’s will over the Communist Party membership. And on Thursday, the Commission proudly declared that Ren Zhiqiang had been expelled from the party for “serious violations of discipline and law.”
Who is Ren, and what are his “violations?”
Well, he’s a property executive and, by Chinese Communist legal standards, serial thoughtcrime offender. Writing satirical articles in favor of political freedom, Ren crossed a Communist Party red line earlier this year when he described Xi as a “clown.” Ren added, “The emperor is holding up a piece of cloth, trying to cover up the fact that he is wearing no clothes at all.” Good stuff. Except if you’re Xi or one of his drones. Ren was quickly disappeared into China’s gulag apparatus. Now the Commission has explained why. It says that Ren “vilified the image of the party and the country … and was not loyal to the party.” Amusingly, if absurdly, the Commission adds that Ren “seriously violated” his “life discipline” and was caught “using public funds to purchase golf [memberships].”
Ren remains in the gulag, and his ultimate fate won’t be clear for the foreseeable future. Still, this massive overreaction to a humorous article speaks volumes about Xi and the regime he leads.
For a start, it illustrates Xi’s abiding insecurity and his paranoia about being perceived as weak. Under great scrutiny for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and ability to advance his “Chinese dream” ambition of a China-led international order, Xi also fears a political drift away from his supreme authority. Hence, we see Xi’s increasingly agitated and repressive policies toward Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Uighur population of Xinjiang province. This is a dynamic U.S. policymakers must be astute to as they increase pressure on Xi in relation to Chinese intelligence and military activities. Xi is increasingly likely to make policy not only in consideration of China’s interests but also in consideration of how his actions make him appear as a leader.
But the broader takeaway from Ren’s purging is what it says about China as a nation.
Blessed with 1.4 billion people, a great history, and extraordinary culture, and bountiful resources, China has much opportunity. Unfortunately, under Xi’s Communist Party, that opportunity is subjugated to the worse impulse of humanity. The desire to dominate in pursuit of absolute power. The most obvious victims of this parasitical political culture are the Chinese people. But what we’re seeing here proves the broader lie of Xi’s offer of mutually beneficial friendship to the world. And if Xi is able to overturn the U.S.-led liberal international order, as he so intends, we’ll ultimately find our own personal experiences of Ren’s oppression.