Beijing later announced that he had been expelled from the Communist Party.<\/p>\n
This is not the first time Ren, who has been nicknamed “Ren Cannon” for his outspokenness, has had a run in with authorities.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Xi critic’s internet account blocked<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In 2016, China shut down his microblogging accounts after he criticised President Xi.<\/p>\n
He had written a Weibo blog that state media was funded by taxpayers and should therefore serve the people instead of the Communist Party.<\/p>\n
His post was later criticised by state media, with one referring to him as having “anti-Communist Party” thoughts.<\/p>\n
![\"Analysis](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/12FA4\/production\/_112823777__110891698_stephenmcdonell_tr-nc.png\")
<\/span><\/figure>\nIf you have not lived in China recently it might be hard to imagine just how much of a line you are crossing when you publicly criticise Xi Jinping.<\/p>\n
Attacking the government is one thing but a pretty obvious reference to Xi as a “clown stripped naked who still wants to be the emperor” would have shocked those who saw the essay.<\/p>\n
The rule of Xi Jinping has, at times, reached something approaching Mao-era deification.<\/p>\n
Mr Xi’s belt and road initiative, his poverty alleviation goals are all described as nothing short of brilliant.<\/p>\n
He is never judged adversely on any subject.<\/p>\n
What makes Ren Zhiqiang’s challenges worse is that, for the Party elite, this is coming from one of their own.<\/p>\n
As former chairman of a huge state-owned property developer, he mixed in their circles.<\/p>\n
This was not to be tolerated. Any hint of cracks emerging at the top of China’s governance structure are to be removed immediately.<\/p>\n
It’s easy to do this using the courts because the judiciary is at one with the Communist Party.<\/p>\n
Ren would have known there was no point resisting – given the prosecution’s almost perfect conviction rate – so he perhaps thought he might as well confess to the lot in the hope of a nicer cell or who knows what in return?<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"