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Top Chinese economist disappears from public life after criticizing Xi Jinping

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(TibetanReview.net, Sep27’24) – China sought to deny that Xi Jinping is a dictator when criticized as such by US President Joe Biden in Nov 2023, but a leading economist at a government thinktank has reportedly disappeared after being disciplined for criticising the Chinese President in a private online chat group.

Zhu Hengpeng, 55, reportedly made disparaging remarks about China’s economy, and potentially about the Chinese leader specifically, in a private WeChat group. He was subsequently detained in April and put under investigation, according to the Wall Street Journal which cited anonymous sources.

The specifics of what Zhu wrote in the private WeChat group are not known, although Hong Kong’s Sing Tao Daily has said he “improperly discussed central policies”. The Wall Street Journal has also reported that he allegedly made a reference to “Xi’s mortality”.

Zhu worked at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (Cass) for more than 20 years, most recently as the Institute of Economics deputy director and director of the Public Policy Research Center.

He has reportedly not been seen in public since April when he spoke at an event organised by Chinese media outlet Caixin, which he had done previously. Efforts by the Wall Street Journal to contact him at home were reportedly unsuccessful. The Cass has not responded to queries, reported theguardian.com Sep 25.

Zhu’s loss of position at the Cass also saw a shakeup of the institute’s senior ranks, with the director and secretary also removed from their posts, the report said, citing Hong Kong media reports earlier this month. While those two officials were reassigned, Zhu was not, the report said, citing Sing Tao Daily. He is no longer listed on the Cass website.

Websites related to his work at Tsinghua University have also reportedly been taken offline.

Cass is a state research think tank that reports directly to China’s top leadership. Chen Daoyin, a former associate professor at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, described it as a “body to formulate party ideology to support the leadership,” noted businessinsider.in Sep 24.

While Cass sometimes provides relatively frank analysis, under the increasingly authoritarian rule of Xi, criticism of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and his individual leadership has become increasingly frowned upon, and treated punitively, said theguardian.com report.

Notices on the Cass website were stated to show staff engaging in several political education sessions in recent months, with a heavy focus on party loyalty and adherence to Xi Jinping Thought – the name given to the enshrined political ideology of the CPC leader.

China’s economy is struggling, and there are concerns that the world’s second-largest economy will miss its own 5% annual growth target, a relatively modest ambition by historic standards. However, Xi is seen a giving greater importance to his and the party’s grip on power than the nation’s economy.

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