The China Thread

[Sheilbh]

That was my guess, but Bill Bishop noted that the CCTV broadcast on the congress doesn't include this (not surprising) but also does include shots of Hu in his seat next to Xi which seems a bit weird if there's some signal of a purge?

Edit: And I thought this was an interesting summary/take on what the personnel shifts mean - I think Languish is fairly pessimistic on this so not many surprises:
https://twitter.com/ProfYangZhang/status/1583788208894414849

[celedhring]

Surrounding himself with sycophants during what looks like to be a pretty challenging time for China is Xi falling into the usual autocrat's trap. My only fear is that at some point he's going to pull a Putin with Taiwan. Xi mismanaging the Chinese economy would have some pretty disastrous aftershocks, too.

[Josquius]

The Guardian says basically nothing to see here. The way he left with other senior people standing as a sign of respect and all that does backup the claim that it was just due to health reasons that he left. He is an old guy afterall.
Plus Xi doesn't need to purge him to get what he wants.

[The Larch]

Apparently to veteran (insert the Commie Chinese equivalent of) Kremlinologists the downfall of Hu Jintao was clear well before he was expelled, as he appeared in the congress with his natural grey hair showing, which is apparently a sign of being on the bad side of a power struggle within the high spheres of the party. It seems that access to hair dye, so you can appear in public with jet black hair, no matter how advanced your age is, is a sign of being close to the powers that be.

[Admiral Yi]

Apparently to veteran (insert the Commie Chinese equivalent of) Kremlinologists the downfall of Hu Jintao was clear well before he was expelled, as he appeared in the congress with his natural grey hair showing, which is apparently a sign of being on the bad side of a power struggle within the high spheres of the party. It seems that access to hair dye, so you can appear in public with jet black hair, no matter how advanced your age is, is a sign of being close to the powers that be.

That's bizarre.  How would they stop the dude from bopping into a drug store and picking up a few jugs?

[Josquius]

Apparently to veteran (insert the Commie Chinese equivalent of) Kremlinologists the downfall of Hu Jintao was clear well before he was expelled, as he appeared in the congress with his natural grey hair showing, which is apparently a sign of being on the bad side of a power struggle within the high spheres of the party. It seems that access to hair dye, so you can appear in public with jet black hair, no matter how advanced your age is, is a sign of being close to the powers that be.

That's bizarre.  How would they stop the dude from bopping into a drug store and picking up a few jugs?

Yeah. It sounds a lot more North Korean than modern China.

[The Larch]

Apparently to veteran (insert the Commie Chinese equivalent of) Kremlinologists the downfall of Hu Jintao was clear well before he was expelled, as he appeared in the congress with his natural grey hair showing, which is apparently a sign of being on the bad side of a power struggle within the high spheres of the party. It seems that access to hair dye, so you can appear in public with jet black hair, no matter how advanced your age is, is a sign of being close to the powers that be.

That's bizarre.  How would they stop the dude from bopping into a drug store and picking up a few jugs?

Beats me (maybe the Party Barbershop keeps all of the best stuff?), but apparently it's a real thing. I read it's common for disgraced politicians to be kept imprisoned for long enough for their dye job to run out so they'll be all grey by the time they appear in public for their show trial or whatever. Grey hair is taken as a sign of either being retired or having been purged.

There are a few articles around about the obsession of Chinese big wigs with jet black hair even on their old age, while they're at the top. It seems that Xi as appeared in public a couple of times with some white hair showing and it created quite the turnmoil, being interpreted as a "populist move" to make him appear closer to the Chinese everyman and as a sign that he fears no internal threat.

[Jacob]

Yeah in my experience, Chinese folks dye their grey hair black as a matter of course. So it makes a lot of sense to me that showing your grey hair in public is a way to communicate that you're done with public life.

My guess - and it's just that, a guess - is that Hu's grey hair is an indication that the scene was choreographed somewhat with his knowledge. Maybe he didn't know that he was going to be made to leave (or maybe he did), but he did know - and had agreed to (under whatever pressure) - to appear and show that he was no longer a factor.

Some sort of "Comrade Hu, we know you are not opposing Chairman Xi's necessary and [series of pompous adjectives] program, but there are those who see you as a symbol of opposition to him. It would be best for the Party if you could signal to those misguided individuals - whom you obviously do not encourage - that you are not going to contest Xi's leadership."

[Valmy]

Yeah. It sounds a lot more North Korean than modern China.

Recently I have been getting the feeling that the Chinese looked over at North Korea and thought "yes...this...this is what we want for China." They have been doing everything to mimic them recently. Down to appointing what seems to me is basically a Xi monarchy. Granted Xi has no sons, which to me is the only reason to not despair.

[Valmy]

Yeah in my experience, Chinese folks dye their grey hair black as a matter of course

Really? Because in most pictures of Xi I see he has grey stripes on his hair.

[Jacob]

Yeah in my experience, Chinese folks dye their grey hair black as a matter of course

Really? Because in most pictures of Xi I see he has grey stripes on his hair.

I don't have much experience with Xi, to be honest. Most of the other old Chinese folk I know do dye their hair, however.

Larch suggested it's perceived as a "populist move", which may make sense.

[Jacob]

Recently I have been getting the feeling that the Chinese looked over at North Korea and thought "yes...this...this is what we want for China." They have been doing everything to mimic them recently. Down to appointing what seems to me is basically a Xi monarchy. Granted Xi has no sons, which to me is the only reason to not despair.

The CCP maybe. I don't think the broader Chinese population think of North Korea as something other than the butt of jokes.

[The Larch]

Yeah in my experience, Chinese folks dye their grey hair black as a matter of course

Really? Because in most pictures of Xi I see he has grey stripes on his hair.

I mentioned that on my post. Apparently those few whisps of white hair that he has only appeared in public with in the last few years produced quite the turnmoil in China and all kinds of tea leaves reading on what they could mean.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Yeah. It sounds a lot more North Korean than modern China.

Recently I have been getting the feeling that the Chinese looked over at North Korea and thought "yes...this...this is what we want for China." They have been doing everything to mimic them recently. Down to appointing what seems to me is basically a Xi monarchy. Granted Xi has no sons, which to me is the only reason to not despair.

he's probably still capable at making sons....

[Sheilbh]

On policing Chinese overseas including the Chinese (and other ethnic groups) diaspora:

Veerle Nouwens 温丽玉
@VeerleNouwens
Dutch news reporting that the Dutch MFA has confirmed the apparent existence of two illegal Chinese police stations in NL - one in Rotterdam and one in Amsterdam - that have been in operation since 2018.

Story in Dutch - but I think there's been similar stories in a couple of other European countries.