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A key phase of the Chinese Communist

Partys anti-corruption campaign has
concluded

January 11, 2015

The political downfall of a former aide to Hu

Jintao was finally confirmed some two years
Ling Jihua
after a speeding Ferrari first crashed along a
Image Credit: REUTERS/Jason Lee
Beijing street in 2012. In a brief statement
released last week, the Central Committee for
Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced that Ling Jihua,
vice-chairman of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, had been indicted for
serious discipline violations. Following the impeachments of Zhou Yongkang and Xu Caihou,
Ling was the third high-profile politician to be ensnared in Chinas anti-graft movement in 2014.
Lings fall from grace is particularly stark, considering that his political star was on the rise in the
lead-up to the 18th Party Congress, where he had been primed for a seat on the 25-member
Politburo. As a key member of Hu Jintaos inner circle, Lings access to Chinas former top leader
meant that he had been favored to join the ranks of the countrys most powerful politicians.
Following the car crash involving his son and two female passengers, however, Ling subsequently
failed to make the cut and was also stripped of his post as director of the influential General
Office of the CCPs Central Committee.
While Ling had largely stayed out of the political limelight in the past two years, it became clear
earlier in the year that the CCP had not forgotten his previous indiscretions, when the partys
anti-corruption agency began initiating proceedings against Ling Zhengce and Ling Wancheng.
The two respectively a provincial official of Shanxi, and a businessman are brothers of Ling
Jihua. In the same manner in which other senior party officials such as Zhou Yongkang had been
toppled, the CCDI steadily worked its way towards Ling its intended target and big tiger by
first taking out the small flies associated with him.
A Political Storm Two Years in the Making
What then, are the regulations Hu Jintaos former political fixer had supposedly contravened?
According to media sources, Ling had ordered the unauthorized use of state security forces to
cover up the details of his sons accident. Possibly motivated by the rivalry between Hus
Communist Youth League (CYL) of which Ling was a representative figure and Jiang Zemins

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followers, Ling also allegedly misled Hu and the rest of the party leadership regarding the drivers
identity by passing his son off as the offspring of a member of Jiangs faction in order to discredit
his political rivals.
At the same time, other China watchers have also contended that Ling Jihua had made a pact
with Zhou Yongkang for the latters help in covering up his sons death to avert any political
fallout. Accordingly, Ling would return Zhous favor by letting him off the hook for supporting the
deposed former Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai. Since his political demise was made official last
week, sources close to the party have also revealed that Ling had collaborated with Bo from as
early as 2006 to undermine their political adversaries. Lings alleged association with the gang
seen as challengers to Xi Jinpings political career meant that it was only a matter of time before
the current Chinese leader took action.
Fourth Big Tiger Since Bo Xilai
That it has taken this long for Xi to close in on Ling can be explained by the more pressing need of
purging the Chinese public security apparatus and Chinas military of the influence of their
previous officeholders. Towards that end, it was crucial that Xi focused his energies on reining in
the Jiang loyalists Zhou Yongkang and Xu Caihou before opening up a new front against the
CYL. Having systematically rooted out Zhous men within the state security bureaucracy in
addition to consolidating his own status in the Central Military Commission (CMC), Xi has
wasted no time in widening the anti-corruption campaign to include Hus protg.
In a country in which rent-seeking and abuses of power are endemic, it is not improbable that
corruption may be considered a lesser evil than challenging those in power. It is thus more than
likely that Lings removal had more to do with his political failings than anything else. Indeed,
Lings putative decision to consort with Zhou Yongkang and Bo Xilai has even moved certain
Chinese media outlets to describe the three and Xu Caihou as Chinas new Gang of Four. While
speculation regarding the four having harbored intentions to remove Xi midway through his first
term remains nothing more than fanciful musing, the roundup of Ling is nevertheless symbolic
and marks a watershed in the ongoing anti-corruption campaign.
What Next for Xi Jinping and China?
To be sure, Xi Jinpings fight against corruption has yielded neither any high-ranking official
from Fujian and Zhejiang provinces in which Xi had previously served nor anyone from his
princelings faction. Nevertheless, whether the campaign seeks to arrest malfeasance or is
simply an excuse to root out political foes, Xi has done his partys legitimacy no harm. Not unlike
the still unraveling details from the Ferrari crash from two years ago, it may be a while yet before
the actual motives behind the recent developments can fully emerge. While the CCP may never
reveal the real reasons behind Ling Jihuas downfall, two things are clear.
First, the removal of Hu Jintaos former right-hand man reaffirms the fact that Xi Jinping has
more or less removed the final vestiges of influence his predecessor had retained. Similarly, the
political shortcomings of Jiang Zemins clique also gives Xi an additional bargaining chip. This
breaks the trend in contemporary Chinese politics in which party elders had continued to hold
sway despite leaving office. Jiang undermined Hus authority just as he himself had been
constrained by Deng Xiaoping. Clearly, Xi does not want to be held back from realizing his
Chinese Dream. Looking ahead, he is also well placed to anoint his own successor.

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Second, Xi is also unencumbered by the political gridlock caused by factional conflicts that
marked the previous administration. With this initial phase of his anti-corruption campaign
drawing to a close, it is clear that Xis clout as well as that of his fellow princelings has grown at
the expense of the coteries under Jiang and Hu. As it becomes increasingly likely that Xi will
succeed in stamping his authority on the entire party machinery, he also stands a better chance of
reforming the countrys political system while restoring public faith in the CCPs rule. As his
countrymens new helmsman, the direction in which Xi Jinping steers China towards will be
keenly watched.
James Char is a Research Analyst with the China Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of
International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

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