Transcription
Hello everyone. Hi. All right. Welcome to Lasal Talk. Okay. Well, CCP's fourth plenum is finally here. It's now halfway through its 4-day run. State media has released only a few vague and sometimes contradictory messages. Meanwhile, rumors and supposed leaks have flooded the internet. So today I'll give you an update on both the official story and the unofficial chatter coming out of this closed-door meeting.
Uh, to really understand what's going on, we first need to look at the players on the field, on the battlefield, what exactly the fourth plenum is, who's attending it, and why this one matters so much. Okay, first things first. So here's how the system works. Since someone asked, you asked me about, um, the CCP's organizational system. So, let me give you a, a, a brief description. So, every 5 years, about 2,000 Communist Party delegates are quote unquote elected to form what's called the National Party Congress. These delegates then elect again, quote unquote elect, around 200 members to the Central Committee, the party's so-called top decision-making body. There are also about 170 alternate members on standby in case any of the main ones get sick, die, or more often, get purged. And including retired senior officials, about 400 to 500 top CCP figures meet six times during each five-year term of the Congress. So, roughly once every year. Since they come from all over the country and can and cannot gather very often, this group elects a smaller 25-member Politburo, which meets monthly to make key political decisions. So, when we talk about the fourth plenum, it's, it simply means that this is the fourth time in the current term, or in the current Congress, that these hundreds of Central Committee members have gathered.
Um, officially, the 4-day meeting is about setting China's next 5-year plan. But behind the scenes, the real agenda is to settle the ongoing power struggle between Xi Jinping and those inside the party who want him gone. Should Xi Jinping step down, the members would also have to decide who replaces him, all behind closed doors and possibly even with their cell phones removed. Now, the CCP isn't known for its democratic rule, but it might have to, it might come, come down to a vote or a military-force vote, uh, to remove Xi Jinping if he resists. So, right now, China's top leadership is divided, u, into three main factions. Right? So, I just described the process. Now I want to tell you about who are the major players on the battlefield and what are they b-fighting, uh, fighting with and fighting about. So, I want to give you a quick rundown of who they are, what power they have, they each hold, and what weaknesses they, they have.
So, first, you have Xi Jinping's own camp, which includes his family, his sister's brother, and his closest inner circle. Yeah. This, I found this picture, I found this picture online. I think it's visually, uh, appropriate for the subject. Don't you think so? Uh, that's, that's precisely what's happening in Beijing right now. It looks dark, uh, and, and very troubling. Anyway, so here's the first camp: Xi Jinping and his family. Um, they, now, let's talk about their strength. Um, the biggest advantage for this camp is obvious. I mean, Xi is still the head of the party, the state, and the military. After 13 years in power, he's built an extensive network of loyal followers throughout the government. Uh, that's his strength, but his weaknesses are formidable. So, Xi faces serious challenges. He's being blamed for China's many crises: the economic downturn, domestic unrest, growing international isolation, and a deep loss of faith in the system. So, people have simply lost hope. And on top of that, Xi Jinping is politically haunted by two deaths. The first is the formal, the death of former Premier Li Keqiang, who, uh, died what, two years ago? Was it three years or two years ago? He, he died in October 2023, I think. Yeah. So, yeah, two years ago. Now, Li held different views from Xi Jinping. He remained p-popular even after retirement and then died suddenly and mysteriously. So, Li's death shook the confidence and loyalty of many party officials because people are saying, if, if this could happen to Li, then I'm nobody. It could happen to me as well. And the second death is the death of actor, um, Alan Yu, or Yu Mengmeng, whose strange and violent death sparked rumors of a death offering. Because we shared the same birthday as Xi Jinping, many linked his death to Xi and his family's obsession with longevity, both political and physical. So, the story went viral and, and the story refused to die and turned many young people against the regime, calling the top leader pure evil. Okay, so that's camp number one.
And then, then camp comes the reformist faction, made up of mostly of technocrats. What's special about this camp? People like Li Keqiang and their chosen successor. Now, these officials, uh, have something in common. They all came from ordinary families, and they all rose to power when Deng Xiaoping promoted well-educated professionals instead of princelings. Since they lack red aristocratic bloodlines, they've had to rely on performance and integrity to survive. So, compared to others, they are relatively clean. No major scandals or corruption. Now, this group initially supported Xi Jinping, but at the 20th Party Congress, Xi Jinping wiped them clean. Huh, Li Keqiang was kicked out of the Politburo. Uh, Li Qiang and Wang Huning were forced to retire. Hu Jintao was publicly forced out of the meeting in front of all watchful eyes, and soon after, Li Keqiang died in retirement. So, the reformists have the motivation, the experience, and public sympathy to challenge Xi, but they lack something. They lack courage and remain bound by party rules and legal procedures. Um, they're, in other words, they're being, they, they're terrified of being accused of bringing down the regime, and that's their weakness.
And finally, there is the military bloc, led by these two, uh, General Zhang Youxia and retired General Liu Yuan. They're both princelings, and they're not just ordinary princelings. Um, they're princeling heavyweights. Their strength lies in their princeling status and the fact that they have taken control of the military, regardless of what people say. I mean, just judging by the recent events, there's no question that Zhang is in control of the military. So, in a system in which he who controls the gun controls the regime, uh, this military bloc, so far, has been unchallenged in the PLA. However, their weakness is that they cannot afford to have Xi Jinping around as a ruler. Now, um, to explain that, I'll just quickly give you the, um, the rivalry between Xi and Zhang. Now, they, their families were close. They were friends going way back. But Zhang had long, uh, well, actually before the trouble, before his trouble started, Zhang had been a loyal supporter of Xi Jinping and even postponed his retirement to help Xi secure a third term at the 20th Party Congress, only three years ago. However, after that, Xi became paranoid about Zhang's immense, um, influence in the PLA and began sidelining Zhang. And then Zhang's downfall seemed inevitable. Now, last summer, during the third plenum, when Xi Jinping reportedly suffered a health situation, Zhang struck back, and the first person he called, um, was his old friend and fellow princeling, General Liu Yuan. Together, they formed an alliance and quickly and quietly took control of the military. Since then, they've purged many, many of Xi Jinping's loyalists, including the highest-ranking vice chairman of the CMC, He Weidong. Now, these moves amount to a kind of a soft military coup, not open rebellion, but a rebalancing of power. Now, that said, the Zhang-Liu Alliance isn't looking to seize political power. Their goal is simply to push Xi Jinping out and steer the PLA back on track. Um, Zhang knows that as long as Xi Jinping stays in power, his own fate could end up like Prigozhin, right? The, the Wagner chief who challenged Putin and died in a fiery crash, remember from a few years ago. So, this faction will do whatever it takes to remove Xi Jinping at the fourth plenum because they, they do, they have no way out. They cannot coexist with Xi Jinping because they have already staged a soft coup. Um, so the reformist faction and the military bloc both want Xi Jinping gone and have formed the backbone of the anti-Xi camp. But they don't agree on how Xi Jinping should step down. Hu Jintao, where is he? There he is. Hu Jintao is the highest-ranking, um, living CCP leader or elder, right? Yeah, I should say living CCP elder because Xi Jinping is also the highest living leader. So, other than Xi Jinping, Hu Jintao is, is really the highest-ranking, uh, living elder. Now, he wants a peaceful power transition to preserve the regime. Xi Jinping, of course, refuses to step down. Zhang Youxia, on the other hand, just wants Xi out. Period. So, that's the battlefield right now. The three-way, it's a three-way tug-of-war, although the two are aligned.
The first two days of the meeting were pretty much just routine, you know, review of the past four years. There were, there were not, there was no serious agenda. There were no serious topics or discussion points on the agenda. They were mostly just warm-ups. Today, three, and day four, they will begin the important agenda of personnel changes. So, no matter which side wins, one thing is crystal clear: the military now holds the deciding power in China's internal struggle. It's the ultimate lever that will determine who stays and who falls, and that rests on the determination of Zhang Youxia. Um, it's still hard to tell who is winning. So, the only official signals are CCP's media reports. So, let me now give you my analysis of the strange behavior of CCP's state media because I mean, we can't really tell, uh, right? I mean, there's, there's really no official, if you want an official, if you want analysis based on official signals, the only thing we could use is state media, but they're crazy. All right, so let me give you the rundown. So, on the last day of the plenum, I already told you that General Zhang took matters into his own hands. He, where is he? Okay, let's put him on the screen. In an unprecedented move, the defense ministry announced that nine generals, all Xi Jinping loyalists, had been purged for serious political and economic problems. It was a political earthquake. Nine senior military leaders purged at once. Yet, state media, CCTV, CCTV did not even say anything. Did not even say a word about the military purge. Xinhua and the People's Daily, uh, just, you know, twisted the story to kind of mute the message, to mute the message. Um, basically, the state media all sided with the Xi Jinping camp, uh, by, by staying as muted as they could, um, showing a clear division with the military. Right? So, the defense ministry and its, uh, and its spokesman was one voice, and then the rest of the state media was on Xi Jinping's side.
Then, after midnight on the eve of the plenum, Xinhua suddenly published a lengthy editorial. I think people say it's 6,000 words. It's long. And the title is "Ensuring Decisive Progress Toward Socialist Modernization on the Occasion of the 20th CCP Central Committee's Fourth Plenum." And then people say this is very odd because, you know, why would Xinhua push out such a heavy-handed editorial at midnight? I mean, who's around to read that? It's almost feels like it's a political gesture rather than anything than news, than journalism. But in this long editorial, it mentioned Xi Jinping's name 23 times. Every paragraph is about Xi Jinping. It praised him in over-the-top language that almost sounded funny. Um, the editorial, the editorial message can be summed up simply like this: Everything is good, and everything is good because of Xi Jinping. Everything bad has nothing to do with him. That's basically what this long editorial was saying, and the phrase "the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core" appeared repeatedly throughout the piece, as if to remind everyone who is still in charge. Um, uh, it called the past five years, the five years as an economic miracle. Could you imagine that? See, a Chinese editorial calling the five, the last five years, as an economic miracle. Um, so anyways, that's just such a joke. So, people, some people think it's a satirical work. But many analysts see this as a signal, a strong signal that Xi Jinping still holds firm control, and that the editorial was meant to set the tone for the entire plenum. Okay. So, that was a midnight, a, a late message before the plenum. It's the midnight, um, on the day, on the first day of the plenum, before it started.
Now, later that day, uh, around noon time, after Xi Jinping presented his report reviewing the 14th 5-year plan, Xinhua published another editorial called "Writing a New Chapter of Chinese-Style Modernization Through Continued Struggle." And at the end, it says something like this that caught many people's eyes. It said, "We must follow one blueprint to the end, keep working continuously wave after wave, and strive to write an even more splendid new chapter in Chinese-style modernization." So, this "keep working continuously wave after wave." In Chinese, it's "Yi," it's actually, uh, it's actually Xi Jinping's own expression. It was actually a quote from Xi Jinping. Um, so many people saw that as implying that Xi Jinping plans to continue ruling because it says, "strive, keep working continuously wave after wave." Um, so this Xinhua piece again convinced some people that Xi Jinping is not going anywhere. But CCTV and the, and the CCP's official magazine, Qiushi, changed the tone. In similar articles published the same day, their final line, you know, included a subtle but important phrase. It almost sounds the same, except that it added a line. It says, "We must follow one blueprint to the end. Passing the baton from one to another, working continuously wave after wave." So, the phrase "passing the baton from one to another" clearly implies a handover of leadership. So, what's interesting is that CCTV and Qiushi included the phrase, but Xinhua deliberately cut it out, showing that the CCP's propaganda apparatus itself is divided between two opposing forces. Right? And that wasn't the only mixed signal on that, in the past two days. Um, at noon that day, China's Channet, Chang'an Wang, the official website of the CCP's Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, published what looked like a routine article praising a state security officer for his loyalty and dedication. Nothing unusual, except that the body of the article included two highly political lines. So, it reads something like this: It says, "We must persistently use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to strengthen our faith and soul, firmly uphold the two establishes, and resolutely achieve the two safeguards." Now, uh, in CCP language, "two establishes" mean establishing Xi Jinping's core position and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought. That's what the two establishes meant, or mean. And then the "two safeguards" mean safeguarding Xi Jinping's core status and safeguarding the authority of the Central Committee. So, these two jargon, the two establishes and two safeguards, are cookie-cutter jargon dedicated to embellish Xi Jinping's leadership.
But here's what's weird. Just hours later, Xinhua and People's Daily online republished the same article that was originally posted by the legal and, uh, the political and legal affairs commission, which is the, which is the organization overseeing the ministry of the ministry of, uh, public security and the state security. It's, it's basically the police plus the security apparatus. Um, yeah. So, Xinhua, People's Daily reposted the article, but they dropped those loyalty lines. They were completely deleted from their repost. So, that small change triggered a wave of discussion. It shows that the party's media went from staying silent, um, on the massive military purge which was led by Zhang Youxia, to editing out slogans meant to glorify Xi Jinping's leadership. So, if you really think about it, the propaganda machine seems confused and cautious, right? They try to stay neutral. So, on Friday, they stayed away from repeating Zhang Youxia's press release, the his announcement of the purging of the nine generals, and then yesterday, they edited out slogans meant to glorify Xi Jinping. So, it looks like they're confused and cautious, um, trying to figure out, I mean, I think they're waiting, trying to figure out the dynamics of the power struggles at the meeting. Um, so, other than the above-mentioned, uh, editorial, basically, there was barely any coverage from state media about the event. And by that evening, the CCP released only a short 100-word statement saying Xi Jinping had delivered a report on behalf of the Politburo and explained the draft of the recommendations of the 15th five-year plan. That, that's it. No photos, no video clips, no quotes, no meeting footage. So, this no image, no sound approach, um, is a sharp break from CCP tradition, where such high-level meetings are normally plastered all over China, across every screen. So, what does that tell us? Well, I think the state media isn't sure who will come out victorious. The infighting is still fierce, and no one knows who's winning. The propaganda machine has hit the pause button, watching and waiting. So, the above is my analysis based on official signals.
Now, let's talk about the rumors. Okay, most of the rumors center around Zhang Youxia and the military. Um, Zhang reportedly shocked the attendees by saying on day one that he, that he said this: He said, "Thanks to God that I'm able to attend this meeting alive in person, or I'd be, I would become like Premier Li Keqiang." All right. It's also said that all of the 23 remaining military members of the Central Committee, um, they had close to 30 something, but remember, eight of them were removed on Friday. There were even more, I think there are even more members who who have already been, uh, arrested and detained, uh, who are obviously not attending this plenum, but, um, but they're not announced. So, they said there are 23, uh, delegates, military delegates, all, all of the, uh, military delegates, which is 23 of them. They, I don't know, submitted a petition or or or filed a motion to ask Xi Jinping to step down due to his poor judgment in personnel appointments. You know, I mean, this is obviously in reference to the purge of the nine generals on Friday, and that's, that's the whole purpose of, uh, announcing the nine purges ahead of the four, the fourth plenum on one day, right? So, they're using that as a, as justification to say, well, Xi Jinping is unfit. Oh, actually, they're asking him to step down, uh, as the chairman of the CMC. They didn't ask him to step down as the party leader because they're military, um, delegates. So, they represent the military. So, they're just as saying that you need to step down as chairman of the CMC because you have, you don't have good judgment in in your personnel appointments. Um, and then also on day one, um, we've heard that four standing committee members, all once Xi Jinping's close allies, have asked to resign. I mean, they, they want to resign, and they are Li Qiang, the premier; Wang Huning, the guy in charge of ideology and also Taiwan strategy; Ding Xuexiang, Xi Jinping's chief of staff in party affairs; and Li Xi, the head of the, um, discipline, discipline and inspection commission. So, they reportedly asked to resign. By the way, their resignation rumors have been spreading for a week now. Even before the, the party plenum, the fourth plenum started, we've heard rumors that they, they asked to resign. Um, it isn't surprising because if you think about it, these four individuals hold some of the most important, I wouldn't say some of the, the most important jobs, um, in the regime, and they have been put in an awful position. It's, it's impossible for them to do their jobs given the power struggles. So, they asked to resign. Um, yeah.
Now, today we also heard that a motion to add Wang Yang to the Central Committee, um, is put forward because Wang Yang has retired already, and for him to return as the interim party leader to replace Xi Jinping, he has to be part of the Central Committee. So, they, um, they, they, they, they want to add him. I, I think there are precedents before that. In the past, the CCP has done this. They can, uh, bring in additional members of the Central Committee. Um, so, they need to make him a Central Committee member. Now, the most shocking rumor is about Xi, Xi's stepping down as military chief and the new CMC, uh, the seven new CMC members. So, Xi Jinping will step down as the chairman, and General Zhang Youxia will take over. And here's, they even have, I even found this. Oh, here's Wang Yang. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Here. Here we go. So, let me make this bigger so that you can see better. All right. Supposedly, this is the new CMC members, or this is the new CMC. So, Zhang Youxia will be the chairman, and Hu Chunhua, the once-discarded crown prince, who's recently reappeared in public, will become vice chairman of the CMC. This appointment will redefine him as the crown prince, groomed to be a future party leader. And the second vice chairman will be Liu Jian, the current chief of the Joint Staff Department. Uh, General Liu will be the second vice chairman, and Hu Chunhua will be the first vice chairman. Uh, and so this leak also claims that in two years, at the 21st Party Congress, both Xi Jinping and Zhang Youxia will retire, paving the way for Hu Chunhua to take over as both, um, uh, General Party Secretary General and CMC chairman. Uh, and because Hu Chunhua doesn't have any military background, keeping Zhang Youxia in place for two more years will give him time to learn, um, to learn military affairs. So, it's kind of a two-year apprenticeship to ensure a smooth handover. Um, at the same time, Zhang Shimin, the current head of the CMC Discipline Commission, will replace Li Shangfu as the head of the Political Work Department, controlling personnel and ideology. And then Air Force Commander Chang Ding, reportedly the only top military leader to survive the purge. They say only the Air Force Commander is, is, remains, has remained. So, he will replace Liu Jian as chief of the Joint Staff. And then Wang Xiaohong, head of the Military Political Legal Affairs Commission, will become the new discipline chief and defense minister. Dong Jun, that's very interesting. One of Xi Jinping's appointees who has so far stayed out of trouble, will join the CMC lineup. So, among them, and come from the army, from the Rocket Force, from the Air Force, and both, and from the Navy, covering all four major branches of the military and balancing factional interests. Um, so Hu Chunhua, besides being the CMC vice chairman, would also serve as vice president of, of China. This mirrors the role Xi Jinping once held when he was the crown prince, when he was designated as Hu Jintao's successor. Now, this leak didn't mention, let me come back. Uh, this leak didn't mention if Xi Jinping's General Secretary position would change or not, or it, it didn't directly address that. But one thing becomes very clear: if Zhang takes over the CMC and Hu Chunhua becomes the vice chairman, it's very clear that Xi Jinping's, the end of Xi's era has arrived. He is no longer relevant. Um, now, of course, all of the above reports, uh, the above reports, the one about the C, the new CMC, is said to have to come from military sources. It, people believe it has some credibility, but keep in mind, there are only rumors.
So, here's the big question: If Xi Jinping really steps down as military chief, can he still keep his position as party secretary general? I mean, keeping that position would save his face for sure. But I think it's unlikely that Zhang Youxia would ever allow Xi Jinping to stay on as military head going forward. I think Xi Jinping's time, I mean, Xi has already lost control of the military, so what's the point of letting him keep the chairmanship? There's no point. So, I do not think Xi Jinping will keep the chairman, um, title for the, for the CMC. But it's possible that he could remain as the party chief, at least until the next Party Congress. That way, his power is, has, has weakened or significantly weakened, and it's clear who the successor is, you know, it's, it's clear. Um, but there's, but, but, but by putting Wang Yang into the Central Committee and positioning him or making him ready to take over as the interim party secretary, I mean, that's another stern warning to Xi Jinping. If he doesn't behave in the next two years as the party secretary general, then he could be kicked out any time, and Wang Yang will take over as the interim until Hu Chunhua, um, becomes officially the, the new leader. So, day three and day four will be more interesting and eventful. Um, stay tuned, and I'll bring you more updates on Thursday. And please subscribe if you haven't. Uh, all right. So, that's what I have for you today. Um, I wanted, this is what I want, wanted to do on Saturday, but, uh, I think today we have more time. I have a, a comment sent to me from a viewer. And this is what he said. It's from Jam. I believe that's his name. Um, I, I, I think it's a him. I'm not sure. It's Jam. All right. He said, "I watch your videos on YouTube. You do a great job covering what's going on in China. Only, only thing I do not like is when you make it seem like the West operates differently than China and they have a set of morals they live by." He said, "The West is just as evil as you proclaim China to be. Please stop. I beg you." Um, I hear what he's saying. I think his message is loud and clear, and I, to some extent, I agree with him. I think all governments, like all governments across the world, have corruption. I think our politicians, regardless whether they, regardless whether they serve a totalitarian regime or an authoritarian regime or a democratic regime, there's corrupt, corruption going on. So, I agree with him on that. But then I also would caution him to say that the West is as evil as the CCP. Um, because I want to tell him, I hear what you're saying, and I feel your pain. We all feel that we're all disappointed, one way or the other, in, in our governments. They can do so much better. However, I still think there's no government, there's no government that's as evil as the CCP. How do I know that? It's very clear. I'm still able to do this program here to you without being too concerned about my safety. I cannot do this in China. The moment I talk, the way I talk today, in China, I'll lose everything, including my life. So, the fact that I'm still able to hold, to do my programs and to be able to talk to you about this means that the West is not as evil as the CCP. So, please don't try to convince me that the West is as evil as the CCP. Because if you are successful, then I will stop doing my program right away because I would, that means I would fear for my life. I would not talk about this. So, uh, that's my message. So, I, I don't want to be convinced that that this this society or or, uh, the, the United States government is as evil as the CCP because they're not. How do I know? I'm still here, um, talking about, you know, issues and and criticizing people. So, anyways, that's just, um, that's just, um, a comment I want to make. All right. Uh, all right. Let's see. Are people, people have questions, comments? All right, here we go. Uh, Luis, Luis Raymond. Well, thank you, Luis. Uh, question forwarded by Chris Black Belt 2000 2000. Oh, that's not a comment. Okay. Uh, any questions? Oh, I, I, Oh, thank you for the super sticker. Anonymous Chinese permanent representative to the WTO, Li Keqiang, has been removed from his role. Li Keqiang has been appointed as the new permanent representative. What does this mean for Xi? Uh, what does this mean for Xi? Probably nothing. I mean, obviously, they removed this as a response to, um, Treasury Secretary, uh, Scott Besson's comment. Remember? And then that means that the Chinese have caved in. Uh, I don't, I don't know whose decision that was to remove him. It may not be Xi Jinping, but it shows that the Chinese, uh, do not want to upset the US. So, they removed him. But, but someone told me that he actually got promoted or he, they put him in another position, and his title, his, his new position actually has a higher standing, higher rank. I, I don't know. But, um, that's what I heard from the Chinese side. Okay. All right. Let's see. Oh, lots of flags. Oh my goodness. All right. Um. Hm. That seems to be, Oh, all right. Okay. Super sticker. Oh, here's a super sticker. US Micronesia Council. Well, thank you. What does this council do? I'm curious. Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much. Um, you know, today's my birthday. I had a cake. I had a cake. Uh, I had a friend whose birthday was two days ago. So, we, uh, celebrated. We, we celebrated over the weekend because we had time, and then we got a cake, said that, "Oh, we're going to, we're going to eat, have, have the cake, you know, on the day in between our birthdays." And we didn't eat it. So, the cake is still in the refrigerator. Uh, too much food. Too much food in the past couple of days. No room for the cake. Nelly Gentry. Oh, thank you, Nelly. All right. Euro Bing Maki. Corruption exists everywhere, but some do it better than the others. I know. Well, when you say some do it better than the others, does that mean that the corruption is even worse because they cover it up better? I know that the people of China just want to live, and their government does not abide by ethics. Their laws. They're above the law. Yeah. Well, thank you. You're right. The Chinese people's biggest enemy is their government. Toggle toggle. Someone asked me how come Xi's loyalists apart, why Xi is the commander-in-chief? Isn't Xi the highest authority to give approvals? He's only a figurehead. He no longer controls the military. Um, his loyalists are purged. Some, there are even, I didn't even tell you the rumors saying that Xi Jinping has already lost his freedom. I think that those are probably a little too extreme. And so, I, there, there are more than one source, one source that says that he has already lost, uh, his personal freedom. He's being watched. So, so I don't know if that's true or not. So, he's just a figurehead in the military. That's what I don't think he would be the chairman of the CMC. There's no way. There's no way Zhang Youxia, if he remains the, the chairman of the CMC. I see danger for General Zhang and his allies. Sir Humphrey, we are lucky we can watch your insights on seismic events in China. Thank you, Label. Thank you, Sir. Thank you. All right. Here's one. Dennis McNeil. Well, thank you, Dennis. Yeah, I need to find, Oh, happy, Oh, all these happy birthday wishes. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Lei. Why is anti-20 S25? Why is China so anti-West if their ideology is communism, yet communism is a Western? They don't make their people. It's all brainwashing. If, because if you tell Chinese your government, your communist government is the biggest, uh, foreign, foreign, uh, hostile foreign forces, they wouldn't believe you because the CCP always uses hostile foreign forces to justify their, um, adversity. Right? Anytime China, China's economy suffers, they will say, "Oh, it's because the US is trying to strangle us." So, hostile foreign forces is a term that CCP uses, but it itself is the biggest hostile foreign force, um, that, that, that stole, that, that stole power in China because, like you said, exactly. The, the, the ideology came from Europe. It's not even Chinese. Someone asked me, actually, someone asked me, uh, to tell them three things to understand about the CCP. And I said, the three things that the West often misunderstands about the CCP are: Number one, the Chinese Communist Party is a quasi-religious organization. It's, it functions, it rules like a, like a theocratic government. So, China is a theocratic society. It's not a totalitarian or authoritarian because the CCP is a religious organization. Um, that's so, um, so what if that's why they persecute people of true faith, and they fear people of true faith? So, that's point number one. Number two, um, the, the Chinese Communist Party is anything but Chinese because they came from, I mean, communism came from Germany, and then their biggest supporter back then was the Soviet Union. So, the Chinese Communist Party is not Chinese at all. That's why they launched the Cultural Revolution to systematically eradicate Chinese culture because they know a traditional Chinese or a Chinese with traditional values, um, or who believe in Confucian teachings would know that the CCP is not good for them. They would not accept CCP's brainwashing. Um, and then the second, and then the third point is the CCP thrives in chaotic situations. When the world is peaceful, it, it cannot survive. It, it survives on chaos. The bigger the chaos, the better they see themselves surviving. So, um, it actually Chairman Mao actually thanked Japan for invading China because without World War II, without Japan's invasion, the CCP would not seize power. So, Mao actually thanked Japan for invading China. Um, and then during the 30 years in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, when the world was at peace, uh, CCP closed its borders and and started one political campaign after another internally to create internal chaos to to thrive. So, that's why it's very difficult to negotiate peace deals with organizations like Hamas because they're essentially backed by the CCP. Their strategists, their biggest advisor, the, the ones who gave them, who advised them, are the CCP. So, they thrive in chaotic situations. They do not want peace. It's impossible to negotiate peace with them. It's impossible to negotiate anything with them, uh, because they love chaos and crisis. Um, so those are the three things that many people do not realize. All right, thank you. Um, I think I see more super stickers coming in. All right. Um, oh, there are a lot of, someone say, oh yes, some, I answered that question. Thank you. I answered that question. Wow, that question is posted many times. Oh my goodness. All right. Seek the truth. Any updates on the ambassador to Holland that was asked to leave the birthday acknowledgments of the Japanese Emperor? I, um, I don't know. I don't have the update. And then I think, um, the biggest, the biggest news is, um, the confirmation of the Japanese prime minister today. That's, that's great news. That's music to my ears. Ria Code. Well, thank you, Ria. Thank you. Um, oh, here's one. Mark Irvin. Well, thank you, Mark, for the super sticker. All right. Mag 8881. Thank you, Mag. Excellent. All right. Oh, here's a question. Um, Anna, Anna, Annab, I don't know how to say that. Okay. How about the rumors of the promotion of Chen Zining as new director of the General Office of the Central Committee of the CCP? There are so many rumors. I mean, there are even rumors saying that, um, Premier Li Qiang will be the vice chairman of the CMC. Do you believe that? I don't. Um, I think that I don't think Li Qiang would be the vice chairman. I, I don't think Zhang Youxia would take him on as a vice chairman of the CMC. So, there are all kinds of rumors out there. I only pick the ones that I think are relevant and and real or or has the highest possibility of becoming truth. Uh, otherwise, there are tons of. I don't know if Chen Zining, if Chen Zining as the new director of the General Office of the CMC for who? It depends on who the party secretary is. If the party secretary is still Xi Jinping, he might, um, yeah. Well, thank you. Thank you for the birthday wish. Lei has the perfect voice for bedtime stories from Doug. Do you think this is bedtime stories? It's pretty brutal for a bedtime story. Kevin Jab, happy birthday. Well, thank you. Thank you. Uh, this is bedtime story, you think? All right. Um, all right. That's, I reached the bottom. Okay. Happy birthday. Well, thank you very, very much. Uh, I think I'll end it here. What do you think? I don't get a question. Oh, sh from Beth. Oh, thank you so much. Japan is absolutely doing the right thing. I think the CCP is scared by the appointment of that Japanese prime minister. Um, CCP has put a lot of attention, a lot of focus on two countries, South Korea and Japan. Um, it doesn't worry about the United States as much. I mean, it does, but at least the United States is across the Pacific, right? But Japan and South Korea have always been CCP's priority, uh, for its East Asian strategy. And then look what it has done in South Korea. I mean, it's successful, but Japan, Japan is also heavily infiltrated by the CCP. So, this, uh, yeah, so this appointment, this new PM will reverse that. So, it's excellent. Very happy. Okay. That's all for tonight. I, um, thank you very much. I feel actually a little hungry. Maybe I'll go eat a piece of cake. All right, I'll see you on Thursday. There will be more updates coming. Bye. Thank Oh, thank you. Uh, see Calvinist.