Several disgraced former Chinese officials had plotted to seize power from President Xi Jinping before being sacked, arrested or jailed, a senior figure in China’s ruling Communist Party has accused.
Liu Shiyu, the chairman of China’s securities regulator, claimed that Sun Zhengcai, a former regional leader, had conspired to ‘usurp party leadership’ before being dismissed in July.
Liu also mentioned Bo Xilai, another former Chongqing party chief; Zhou Yongkang, a retired member of the ruling party’s Standing Committee, the country’s inner circle of power; and Guo Boxiong, a former general. All three are serving life prison terms after being convicted of corruption or other misconduct.
Sun and other senior figures prosecuted in a marathon anti-graft crackdown were ‘great not just in venality and corruption but in conspiring openly to usurp party leadership,’ regulatory chairman Liu Shiyu said Thursday at a panel of finance officials.
Several disgraced former Chinese officials have plotted to seize power from the Xi Jinping (pictured), according to Liu Shiyu, the chairman of China’s securities regulator. Above, Xi Jinping delivers a speech at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on October 18, 2017
Sun Zhengcai, a former regional leader in China, has been accused of plotting to ‘usurp party leadership. In the above file picture taken on March 13, 2017, the then-party secretary of Chongqing attends the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC)
Liu also mentioned Bo Xilai, another former Chongqing party chief. The picture above, taken on March 14, 2012, shows Chongqing Party Secretary Bo Xilai during the closing ceremony of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing
Zhou Yongkang was also named. Zhou is a retired member of the ruling party’s Standing Committee, the country’s inner circle of power. In a file photo above, Zhou Yongkang attends the closing of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People
In the picture, General Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, attends the opening session of the National People’s Congress, or parliament, on March 5, 2007 in Beijing. Guo Boxiong has also been accused by the senior Chinese official
Sun Zhengcai, 54, was dismissed in July as party leader in the western megacity of Chongqing and was among other disgraced former officials cited by the chairman of China’s securities regulator as corrupt and plotting to seize power.
The party previously said Sun was suspected of ‘serious discipline violations,’ a term that usually refers to bribery and other graft. Liu gave no additional details.
The regulator said the crackdown led by President Xi Jinping since he took power in 2012 that has snared officials and managers of state companies helped to rescue the nation.
‘We eliminated this huge hidden danger to the party and the nation,’ said Liu. ‘The party leadership with Xi Jinping as its core have during this five years saved the party, saved the military and saved the nation, and from a global scope, also saved socialism.’
Liu Shiyu, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, accused the former party secretary of Chongqing, Sun Zhengcai, of plotting a coup against the party leadership. Above, Liu attends a discussion group meeting held on the sidelines of China’s 19th Party Congress
Liu said Sun and other senior figures prosecuted in a marathon anti-graft crackdown were ‘great not just in venality and corruption but in conspiring openly to usurp party leadership’
In this March 6, 2017 file photo, Sun Zhengcai, then then-party secretary of Chongqing, attends a meeting on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress in Beijing
Liu’s made the claims during the 19th national congress of China, the country’s biggest political event held once every five years.
On October 18, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the national congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Xi addressed to more than 2,000 delegates during the speech, which ran nearly three and a half hours.
Xi’s wide-ranging speech laid out a confident vision for an increasingly prosperous China and its place in the world.
China’s Communist Party opens the 19th National Congress at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People amongst tight security on October 18
No political reforms: Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed more than 2,000 delegates for more than three hours in China as he opens the five yearly congress on October 18
Inside Great Hall: Xi said, China would become a modern socialist ‘strong power’ with leading influence on world stage during the opening speech of the 19th National Congress
‘Through a long period of hard work, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, this is a new historical direction in our country’s development,’ Xi said, using the term ‘new era’ 36 times.
Xi also urged a reinvigorated Communist Party to take on a more forceful role in society and economic development to better address ‘grim’ challenges facing the country.
The twice-a-decade congress, a week-long, mostly closed-door conclave, will culminate with the selection of a new Politburo Standing Committee that will rule China’s 1.4 billion people for the next five years, with Xi expected to consolidate his grasp on power.