By Li Deyan, Vision Times
Several reports suggest China’s leadership continues to treat criticism of President Xi Jinping as a political red line, with two officials recently accused of “improperly discussing the central leadership,” a charge widely understood as referring to dissent toward Xi’s policies.
At the same time, overseas commentators and analysts claim that negative assessments of Xi are increasingly circulating within Beijing’s political circles, despite repeated warnings from authorities.
Jing Junhai probed for ‘political disloyalty’
On Feb. 14, Canada-based Chinese democracy activist Sheng Xue wrote on X that former senior official Jing Junhai had reportedly been taken away for investigation. “According to information channels, Jing Junhai was taken away for investigation more than six hours ago,” she wrote, adding that the trigger may have been comments he allegedly made in a diplomatic setting.
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She added, “It is said that he indirectly expressed dissatisfaction with Xi Jinping’s current policies to Singaporeans. If true, this would be a case of a minister-level official falling directly due to ‘political disloyalty’ and ‘improper discussion of the central leadership.’”
In the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) political vocabulary, “improper discussion of the central leadership” typically refers to questioning or criticizing Xi himself,” says Sheng.
Independent commentator Cai Shenkun also claimed on X that Jing had been “truly taken away” on Jan. 29 after years of rumors surrounding his status. “An official who has navigated the system for more than thirty years ultimately still could not escape the day of reckoning,” Cai wrote.
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Public records show Jing was born in 1960 in Shaanxi Province and rose through the ranks from provincial leadership roles to become governor and Party secretary of Jilin. He was removed from his top post in 2024 and later reassigned to a largely ceremonial position within the National People’s Congress.
Cai commented that Jing’s fate reflects a broader reality inside the CCP: “Jing Junhai’s ending once again proves: in this system, there are no meritorious officials, only tools; no good endings, only the question of whose turn it is.”
Hainan official Ni Qiang in hot water
Another recent case involves Ni Qiang, a former senior official in Hainan Province. On Feb. 6, China’s discipline authorities announced that four centrally managed officials had been expelled from the Party and removed from office. Among them, Ni drew particular attention for being accused of “improperly discussing the central leadership’s major policies,” alongside allegations of engaging in “superstitious activities.”
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Ni, born in 1966, held a long list of senior positions in Hainan, including vice governor and Party secretary general. Online rumors suggest that Ni may have made critical remarks during a private banquet, reportedly describing the Hainan Free Trade Port project as destined to become “a failed vanity project” similar to Xiong’an.
The Hainan Free Trade Port has been heavily promoted as a signature initiative personally overseen by Xi Jinping. U.S.-based economist Xie Tian argued that the project reflects Beijing’s attempt to revive a struggling economy: “China’s economy is in serious decline, and the regime hopes this free trade zone will serve as a shot in the arm,” he said. “But in reality, it is destined to have little effect… and will become another massive unfinished project, like Xiong’an.”
Signs of internal disillusionment
Notably, the same Feb. 6 disciplinary notice also accused former Bank of China vice president Lin Jingzhen of “privately possessing, reading, and mailing banned books.” Observers have pointed to such charges as evidence of growing ideological unease within the CCP. Independent writer Du Zheng wrote in Taiwan’s Up Media that an increasing number of officials being accused of reading political “forbidden books” suggests internal loyalty is weakening.
Even if Xi remains in power, Du argued, “his authority within the Party and the country has already significantly eroded.”
Australian-based legal scholar Yuan Hongbing, citing sources inside the system, claimed that despite renewed warnings not to “improperly discuss the central leadership,” Beijing’s political circles have become increasingly indifferent. According to Yuan, negative judgments about Xi are now spreading rapidly.
Some, he said, claim Xi is ruthless internally but hesitant externally, while others mock Beijing’s military posturing as theatrical. Yuan argued that such “whispers” act as a political barometer, suggesting deeper dissatisfaction among officials who once pledged absolute loyalty. He warned that if Party elites begin viewing Xi as merely “a paper tiger,” the risk of internal backlash could rise sharply.
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