News Analysis

Three high-ranking Chinese officials, including a political rival of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, have received suspended death sentences for bribery. The situation has fueled speculation among China observers about Xi’s waning influence, especially since he was absent from recent significant military events.

The officials, who were sentenced between Oct. 10 and Oct. 14, include Fan Yifei, former deputy governor of China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China; Jiang Jieyi, former vice chairman of the Political Consultative Conference of Tibet; and Wang Dawei, former deputy governor of Liaoning Province and head of the provincial public security department.

The alleged bribes they took ranged from 225 million yuan (about $31.6 million) to 555 million yuan (about $77.9 million), according to official sources.

Of these three officials, Wang Dawei’s case stands out as he was one of the four key subordinates of Sun Lijun, former deputy minister of public security who was a main target of Xi’s anti-corruption campaign two years ago.

China watchers see Wang Dawei’s downfall as an extension of Xi’s purge within the public security system to get rid of any potential political adversaries.

Xi’s Absence From Key Events

Xi did not attend two military events—an important conference and a visit by Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov—in Beijing on Oct. 14–15.

Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia chaired the conference and met with Belousov in Xi’s absence.

Instead of playing a leading role in those crucial events, Xi, who serves as chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, was on an inspection tour in the distant Fujian Province with no pressing matters to address.

China analysts say these developments indicate that Xi’s grip on power may be weakening. At the same time, they are observing whether Xi is attempting to maintain the appearance of control.

Whether he continues purging political rivals will also be a key indicator of how much power he still holds, they said.

Purges Within Public Security System

Yuan Hongbing, a former Peking University law professor now residing in Australia, told The Epoch Times that during Xi’s early days of power, Xi faced considerable opposition from rival factions, such as the late former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Jiang Zemin and former security chief Zhou Yongkang.

By appointing his close ally Wang Xiaohong as the deputy minister of public security in 2018, traditionally Jiang’s turf, Xi worked to establish his own influence there, and the removal of Sun, the then-deputy minister, was seen as a major milestone, according to Yuan.

Sun was arrested in April 2020 on charges that included bribery, illegal possession of firearms, and forming political cliques. Wang Xiaohong became the head of the agency in June 2022.

Subsequently, in September 2022, Xi initiated a new round of political purges ahead of the CCP’s 20th National Congress to strengthen his authority, with Sun’s cohort as a primary target. The purge was intense at the time: on Sept. 22, former Justice Minister Fu Zhenghua was given a suspended death sentence, the same ruling Sun received the next day.

Sun’s case has continued to be referenced in official statements. It drew much attention when authorities ordered a “comprehensive investigation” and emphasized the need to “root out the remnants” of his “criminal gang” in a March 2023 directive.

Political commentator Li Linyi told The Epoch Times that Xi’s actions against Sun reflected his determination to control all key positions in public security.

“The nationwide so-called comprehensive investigation launched in March 2023 was likely intended to go beyond Sun’s associates and potentially implicate other top figures within the system, such as Guo Shengkun, the recently retired former head of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and Zhao Kezhi, the former minister of public security,” he said.

Canada-based Chinese dissident Wang Juntao, chairman of the National Committee of the China Democratic Party, holds a similar view.

Wang Juntao told The Epoch Times that both the Chinese military and public security systems have long been dominated by Jiang’s faction, posing a significant threat to Xi’s rule. Despite Jiang’s death on Nov. 30, 2022, his faction survived him as a political clique, working collaboratively to maintain their influence.

Wang Juntao, also a member of the CCP’s “princelings”—the children of elite Party families—has extensive knowledge of the Party’s inner workings. He described Xi’s strategy of handling political cases as economic corruption crimes—a hallmark of his selective anti-corruption campaign.

“The infighting within the CCP’s military and police systems has historically been the most brutal, often a battle for life and death,” Wang said.

Xin Ning contributed to this report.