President Hu and Ling worked together in the Young Communist League (YCL) in the eighties. Hu faction has been dominating the YCL. But the dethronement of Ling shows that it is a set back to his mentor Hu as well in the run upto the 18th CCP Congress next month when China will transition to new leadership. Ling’s downfall was contributed by his playboy son to an extent by falling into the police net when his car rammed into a concrete barrier ‘killing a half-clothed male passenger, and seriously injuring two naked women, one of whom died later’.
This accident happened on March 8 morning just days after Bo’s fall but name of Ling’s son was never revealed to the media. Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post revealed the name on September 3. Since SCMP editor has good equations with CCP, it stands to reason that the scoop had the sanction of whoever matters in the hierarchy. Put differently, it shows the weakening of President Hu over the power structure – a view articulated by Hong Kong based political analyst Jin Hong. He told the Los Angeles Times that that Hu Jintao’s power base is ‘collapsing very quickly’.
Other analysts like Wang Xiangwei share the same perception. “Hu had seen his political will and bargaining power sapped in light of the scandals, and this had allowed former president Jiang Zemin to wield more influence in deciding the new leadership line-up” according to him..”
Jiang is part of the Shanghai faction; he continued to hold political influence during the 2002-03 leadership transfer, when he handed power to Hu. Several members of the Politburo Standing Committee are loyal to Jiang. Moreover Jiang continued to hold the powerful position of chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) for two years after he retired. According to Wang, Hu is now unlikely to do the same.
Another indicator of factional strife is the strange disappearance from public life of Vice President Xi Jinping, who was expected to take over from Hu as president. Xi has cancelled a series of meetings with foreign leaders, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on September 5, and was absent from a meeting of the CMC, of which he is a vice-chairman. No official reason has been given, prompting speculation. Xi is widely regarded as a compromise figure between two main CCP factions.
The economic downturn and the growing tensions with the US and the neighbours in South China Sea have accentuated divisions within the CCP leadership over how to respond.
