How to spot the issues that really matter to China’s Communist Party
The byline Ren Zhongping, as seen in a glowing commentary on Hong Kong since the handover, is a signal we’re seeing something that’s important to Beijing
Two days ahead of the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China, the Communist Party’s flagship newspaper People’s Daily published a lengthy commentary on the city under the byline Ren Zhongping, cheering the “huge success” of the “one country, two systems” model in Hong Kong’s development.
As a mouthpiece for the Communist Party, People’s Daily is an indispensable tool for tea-leaf reading the changing political winds and policy directions of the party, given the opaque nature of its political system and decision making process.
Bylined commentaries under well-known pseudonyms such as Ren Zhongping hold an especially important place in setting the official tone on major policies and current affairs, and presenting the current consensus to cadres.
What does it mean when I see the byline Ren Zhongping, and who is the actual writer?
The byline is a signal that the commentary is important. Because of this, the editorials written under the pseudonym are actually the work of a team of reporters, editors and managers from different departments.