China Briefing | What’s behind China’s crackdown on the political rumour mill?
- Beneath the pledges of loyalty and unity, rumours are flying of disagreements among the top leadership on how to deal with an economy ravaged by zero-Covid
- Speculation of a schism ran so rife that the party has banned retired officials from gossiping about politics – but will it be enough to silence the whispers?
Are China’s top leaders split over how to respond to a sharp economic slowdown that’s been exacerbated by Covid-19 lockdowns and the fallout from the war in Ukraine?
That isn’t to say such disagreements are being had out in the open. On the contrary, the official propaganda apparatus is in full swing, hailing Xi’s speeches and achievements daily on all manner of subjects – a selection from the past week included the youth, family virtues and human rights – as officials at all levels now begin every speech with a pledge of loyalty to the party leadership, with Xi at its “core”.
But beneath the pledges of loyalty and unity, the rumour mill is abuzz with attempts to decipher nuanced messages and read between the lines of the Chinese leadership’s public remarks. Given the party’s secretive and opaque nature, some have even resorted to making inferences from how many times certain leaders’ names appear in state media, or the number of column inches devoted to them.
Over the past few weeks, for instance, official reports have made little mention of the economic hardships caused by China’s zero-Covid policy, focusing instead on Xi’s urging of officials to stick with the virus suppression strategy as they promote Mao Zedong-style ideology and loyalty.
Li, meanwhile, has consistently sounded grim warnings about the economy while chairing State Council meetings and in talks with provincial officials – noting since April that downward economic pressures have been greater than expected and calling for more efforts to preserve jobs and help small businesses.