CDT cannot verify any information presented by Guo Wengui.
For the past six months, from his $67 million perch over Manhattan, Guo Wengui, a billionaire with known ties to former top Chinese intelligence officials, has been hurling allegations against Party leaders that have shaken Zhongnanhai, promising that these revelations can provide a glimpse into the heavily-fortified black box that is elite Chinese politics. Armed with his YouTube and Twitter accounts, Guo has attracted many fans who see in this exiled and moneyed man an unlikely hero with extraordinary personal courage.
The level of opacity surrounding China’s high Party politics makes fact-checking Guo’s claims an impossibility. But his proven ties to the state security apparatus, along with the severity with which Beijing has reacted, and the fact that he has become a “folk hero” in the eyes of many among his rapidly growing audience—millions, both inside and outside of China—make his claims impossible to ignore. By translating Guo’s assertions, CDT is trying to give our English readers access to Guo’s revelations/allegations in his own words so they can better understand his perspective on recent and ongoing events in the shrouded world of elite Party politics.
One video is particularly relevant in the leadup to the 19th Party Congress, which will see a sweeping transition in the powerful Politburo Standing Committee. Guo’s September 1, 2017 YouTube broadcast offered an unorthodox explanation for Xi Jinping’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign over the past five years. Guo’s narrative paints a picture of the close personal and political relationships between key political figures in China, and claims that former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin and his political allies, led by his son Jiang Mianheng, have been pulling the strings to exact revenge on traitors and factional adversaries, to ensure their continued control over the Party and state.
In the following translation, Guo describes the close relationship between Jiang Mianheng—who Guo claims wields far more power than is generally discussed—and domestic security chief Meng Jianzhu. He presents the corruption-related life sentence for ambitious former Hu Jintao aide Ling Jihua as part of a Jiang family plan to regain control, and the car accident death of Ling’s son Ling Gu as a political assassination. Guo’s story of control and distrust, betrayal and punishment, purportedly reveals the real dynamics behind the “anti-corruption campaign” at the highest level.
CDT has translated most of the transcript for Guo’s September 1, 2017 video (beginning from 2:30) below. Contextual notes have been presented in brackets for clarity, and the bold sections were chosen by CDT to emphasize the core of Guo’s allegations. The entire Chinese transcript can be found at CDT Chinese.
(Holding palms together) Hello, dear Twitter friends, Weibo friends and everyone in the audience watching Wengui’s exposé live stream. This is September 1, 2017, the second season premiere of Wengui’s anti-plunderers-of-the-nation (盗国贼) disclosure. The first season has already ended. The first episode of the second season features Meng Jianzhu and Sun Lijun, who stole the country (盗国) while supervising it (监国 [literally “country ruled by regent”]).
(Topic) Meng Jianzhu and Jiang Mianheng’s friendship, bound by life and death, began with Jiang Mianheng’s kidney transplant.
As we all know, Meng Jianzhu is a very remarkable person. Let’s set aside the time he spent on the farm and talk about his life during the period from 1998 to 2001. Meng Jianzhu influenced the fate of the entire nation. At that time he had the least power and political foundation. He was appointed to Jiangxi. But it was during that exact time that Meng Jianzhu started the most important political journey of his life. It was also during that period that he built a most intimate political relationship with General Secretary Jiang Zemin and his family. In those times, as Meng Jianzhu held several county offices of Shanghai, went to the farm, became the mayoral vice secretary and agricultural bureau chief, he was actually building trust and relationships with Shanghai Mayor Zhu Rongji and Secretary Jiang Zemin. But he didn’t go so far as to become part of the alliance at the time.
However, he did acquaint himself with the most important figure of the Jiang family—the real boss of the Jiang Family—Mr. Jiang Mianheng.
Because of his political alliance with Mr. Jiang Mianheng and the others, Meng Jianzhu practically became China’s shadow emperor and the speaker for the Jiang family. His every promotion has affected the path of the Party and the Chinese government.
Of course, he also influenced the security and well-being of 1.4 billion people. As we all know, or perhaps a lot of the civilians don’t know, after the Deng family, the Jiang family took over the throne of the Chinese government. The new emperor was Jiang Zemin from the Jiang family!
After Jiang Zemin came to power, the Jiang family won the “battle” in Beijing against Liu Huaqing, Qiao Shi and Li Ruihuan etc., largely thanks to the assistance of Mr. Zeng Qinghong. However, after that the Jiang family regrouped their forces and got back their control over the Public Security and justice departments—the knife handle (刀把子); and thorough control of the gun trigger (枪把子 [signifying control of the military]) and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Then they used the interest groups that Zhu Rongji and Wang Qishan had hooked up with over the years to monopolize China’s finance. This is why, as we see, China mostly failed to escape the family shadow over the past 20 years.
It’s not accurate to say “the past 30 years” or “these 30 years,” because Jiang and Zeng’s first ten years after Jiang took central power from Deng and became the true core were still a time of power struggles. Then Jiang became the inventor of “Three Represents.” China reformed and opened up. The police, judicial department, and military are not allowed to do business. Thus the reform and opening-up of China, including international relations after the June 4th incident, have been settled. The Jiang family’s time had finally arrived.
I have to say objectively that without the international awareness of Jiang and Zeng, access to internationally advanced concepts in Shanghai, as well as their deep rooted fondness for Western culture, English and American mostly, the subsequent dominance of Jiang, Zeng, and Zhu would not have been possible.
But during the time after Liu Huaqing and Qiao Shi went down, the Deng family was mostly on defense, waiting for the next Chairman Hu Jintao, appointed by their family after a generation, to take his position. The Jiang dynasty had started. There was a book called “The Man Who Changed China” describing Mr. Jiang Zemin. Affairs during that period are known by only the rare person, but they were very desperate times. Of course, there were a lot of plunderers of the nation, and one of them was Zhu Rongji—the worst liar and plunderer of the nation of all times！[…]
[…] There is no doubt that Jiang Mianheng has been China’s shadow government for decades! Whatever he says goes! His dad listens to him!
Sometimes Mr. Jiang Zemin likes to chat with female attendants. He’ll be sitting in his room chatting with the female attendants from outside or in the next room over. He doesn’t even care if his wife, Wang Yeping, shows up. But if he sees Jiang Mianheng, he’ll hang up the phone in a hurry, scared. When Mr. Jiang Zemin goes swimming, he likes to be accompanied by female servants. But if Jiang Mianheng shows up, then there’d have to be a few less girls.
Absolutely no national vice-level or ministerial-level appointments are made without the approval of Jiang Mianheng! This is Mr. Meng Jianzhu’s big chance! He threatens people on behalf of Jiang Mianheng! Terrorizes them! Kills on demand! When Mr. Jiang Mianheng underwent his handful of kidney transplants from 2004 to 2008 in a hospital in Nanjing, it was all organized behind-the-scenes, a secret selection of people and kidneys, it was all undertaken by Meng Jianzhu and Shanghai Politics and Law Committee leaders and a few military leaders working together!
Meng Jianzhu and Jiang Mianheng’s friendship bound by life and death started with Jiang Mianheng’s kidney transplants! From kidney transplants to business! Mr. Jiang Mianheng rules the Bank of Shanghai! He rules over the international development of Shanghai Industrial Investment Company; he rules over Shanghai Jiushi Corporation; he rules over Shanghai’s science and technology sector, including what was called China Netcom at the time, later called China Unicom. And there’s also Tian Suning, with whom he set up China Unicom. All of the behind-the-scenes operators for this, they’re all killers, all killers who will target anyone who gets in their way. And Meng Jianzhu is one of them!
What I’m saying is, from 2001 to 2004, Secretary Meng Jianzhu established the most profound revolutionary friendship with Jiang Mianheng! His past revolutionary foundation and relationship allowed him to become the spokesperson for the Jiang family! […]
[…] Meng Jianzhu and Sun Lijun, these two, have now become veritable Jiang family assassins!
(Topic) Oh, Mr. Hu Jintao, he’s basically just a daughter-in-law wearing tight shoes (穿小鞋的小媳妇 [a Chinese idiom suggesting someone who lives uncomfortably under tight control])!
The years 2001 to 2008 were when China’s fate was most colorful. Everybody knows that at this time General Secretary Jiang transferred power to Hu Jintao. During the period when the transfer of power was happening, there was a Beidaihe summit. Mr. Jiang Zemin didn’t want to transfer his chairmanship of the Central Military Commission. He invited Chi Haotian, Wang Ruilin and other big military guys to his home for a dinner meeting. They talked about whether or not to give Hu Jintao the power! Jiang didn’t want to!
Mr. Wang Ruilin [a top Deng aide and general who held high Party and military posts] was outraged, saying, Jiang Zemin, you really still want to discuss this? Old Deng transferred his power back then! And you promised! There’s nothing to discuss regarding this matter! But even Deng Xiaoping’s wife said: He’s still a party member now, and an old member of the Central Advisory Committee. She vouched for him! You can’t overturn this result now! Brush yourself off and go!
This was all in front of these people—chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Wannian, Chi Haotian, etc. The old revolutionaries were all together. They had a falling out! It was Wang Ruilin that had the guts! Less than a few hours later, Mr. Jiang Zemin gave Wang Ruilin a phone call, and said: Comrade Wang Yeping made some mung bean porridge, we’re sending two bowls over to you! This was the famous Mung Bean Porridge Incident! The Mung Bean Porridge Incident eased the situation and the military tension! In the end, he transferred his power to Mr. Hu Jintao!
But Mr. Hu Jintao has an extraordinarily weak personality. He and his wife never dared to speak much inside! If they wanted to talk, they’d go out into the courtyard holding hands and whisper into each other’s ears. They’d always bring a small stool outside to sit and talk. They didn’t dare talk under a roof. There were listening devices everywhere. The military didn’t listen to him at all. The only military person close to him at the time was Zhang Xinsheng. General Chief of Staff Chen Bingde was a Jiang family ally. Guo Boxiong, Xu Caihou, and originally Yu Yongbo, Zhang Wannian… they didn’t have anything to do with Hu Jintao. Zhou Yongkang of the Politics and Law Committee belonged to the Zeng family!
So, you see, Mr. Hu Jintao is basically just a daughter-in-law wearing tight shoes (穿小鞋的小媳妇 [a Chinese idiom suggesting someone who lives uncomfortably under tight control])!
(Topic) The Top Secret Meeting Happened in South Putuo [Guo later tweeted a correction: the meeting took place at Mt. Putuo, Zhoushan, Zhejiang]!
The pompously over-ambitious man who emerged at this time was none other than Ling Jihua! After this Ling Jihua rose to prominence, he sure brought trouble down upon Hu Jintao! Hu’s immediate staff were all very lame otherwise. There was Chen Shiju, Wang Fuqing, Ling Jihua, and Military Affairs’ Secretary Wu. Hu’s entire camp was built of cowards, and there weren’t many with any courage! Ling Jihua was the only one who hadn’t been overpromoted, and stayed up all night [working]. He sought out everyone to attend meetings, mistreating them to the extreme! Every day at Zhongnanhai, he dressed up as God but played the Devil. He focused all his attention and effort on cleaning out Jiang Zemin’s CCP Central Committee Security Bureau director Liu Xigui. Liu had been 100% loved, respected, and praised by those around him. Because of him, Zhongnanhai had been greatly cleaned up. But once Ling Jihua showed up, he picked on him in a hundred and one ways, even firing the entire construction and gardening teams Liu had brought from back home. This sure riled up Jiang’s camp! He even reduced shipments of apples—and during the Lunar New Year, bottles of Maotai—to the Jiang family. He just did everything under the sun to make life a pain for the Jiang family. This only worsened tensions between the Jiang and Hu camps. Naturally, this made Zeng very uneasy. This discord spread across the country and became reality. The seeds of their enmity were sown then. It started when Mr. Jiang Mianheng built a few new separate houses for the General Office of the Central Committee at the south end of Diaoyutai. It was [Ling Jihua] giving a hard time to Jiang Mianheng. In all aspects, he made life difficult for the Jiang family. If Mr. Jiang needed medical care, Ling was there to block access time and time again. He needled them every single day, and from here, the enmity became ingrained. There are too many stories like this! At the time, they thought Jiang was old and reaching his end.
This precipitated Hu’s sudden rise in power during the Olympics. Jiang had very little muster left! Then when it came to the 60th anniversary celebration [of the founding of the PRC], Jiang wasn’t allowed to attend, even though he wanted to! During this time, there was also a gallery exhibition for Hong Kong’s return to China. Jiang arrived well after Secretary Hu so that the two of them did not need to meet. Ling Jihua ensured that the elderly Jiang would have to wait for a good ten minutes; then, when he finally did enter the gallery, he found that there wasn’t a single photo of him in the exhibit! He only appeared in two group photos! Jiang loudly cursed, “You despicable scum!” This is the origin of this story! It had truly become the last straw for them!
At this point, Jiang suddenly fell down with a fever that left him hospitalized. Suddenly, those in China’s political spheres believed Jiang Zemin really was finished. Comrade Jiang was going to pass away! From this shithole of a political sphere emerged the very essence of traditional Chinese politics: Betrayal! Deception! Filth! Hypocrisy!
Comrades Zhou Yongkang, Guo Boxiong, and Xu Caihou immediately declared their loyalty to Hu Jintao! Then you saw those who had clearly been aligned with Jiang’s camp—the Party Secretaries of Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces, and those from the Northeast including Wang Min—switch allegiance to Hu, and express loyalty to Ling Jihua! Even Bo Xilai clearly expressed his goodwill. All at once, they had all flown from the Jiang camp!
At several points, there came the news that old Jiang would die at any moment. They had even made preparations for the funeral! You have to admit that at this point, Meng Jianzhu’s actions were really admirable. He accompanied Mr. Jiang Mianheng left and right, providing crucial resources. Then a miracle happened: Jiang Zemin suddenly recovered in 2011! A true miracle!
How did Jiang come back so miraculously? I will tell you in the future. I have the greatest authority to tell this tale! This is because one of my closest friends played a part in this. There was also someone I am highly familiar with. Naturally, under such circumstances, Meng Jianzhu once again obtained the confidence of the Jiang family! Sun Lijun also did a great many things. But this set the stage for an epic showdown in Chinese politics. Once Jiang Zemin regained full health, he immediately started on a plan to take Hu [and company] out!
The cleaning out campaign began quickly! This is why I stated in my livestream that Mr. Meng Jianzhu created a list of 27 individuals who had to be eliminated. Even though Jia Qinglin was certainly close to the Jiang family, he had expressed goodwill to Hu Jintao. At that time, many individuals did not make it through this test.
When the entire Jiang family was in imminent danger, an event with hugely subversive elements came to the fore. This was immediately preceding the 18th Party Congress, Li Yuanchao and others, along with Ling Jihua, organized an internal, so-called “virtual” vote. This led Mr. Jiang Zemin, Premier Zhu Rongji, and all of previous Politburo Standing Committee members to feel bitterly disappointed and scared. This meant that those representing their interests didn’t stand a chance anymore!
Therefore, a top secret meeting took place at South Putuo [location later corrected]! What transpired there would come to influence a great many things, most notably to completely change the 18th Party Congress. There is a portion of the video in which Mr. Liu Yanping and I speak to one another [Guo released an audio tape of his negotiations with State Security Discipline Inspection Secretary Liu Yanping in New York] that hasn’t been released yet. I will release it in the future. He said: At the time, the Bo Xilai scandal hanging over the 18th Party Congress, the Ling Jihua incident, and the ascent of a new Politburo Standing Committee—during all these events, Mr Jiang Zemin played the most critical role to stabilize the entire situation. I wished to use [Liu’s] words to tell everyone.
And where did this meeting occur? South Putuo! Ultimately three plans emerged from South Putuo. Following Meng Jianzhu, Sun Lijun and two others would carry out a plan to overturn the regime, by following Ling Jihua’s ever-sober son Ling Gu for several days, then using the simplest methods possible to get him killed—a car accident!
Afterwards, when Hu Jintao was in the U.S., the entire domestic Politburo and Standing Committee spontaneously held a meeting, and in the end there was nobody there to receive Hu as he deplaned! After arriving at Zhongnanhai Hu was immediately called to the Western Hills meeting. Comrade Jiang Zemin, Comrade Zhu Rongji and nearly all the old Standing Committee members were there, and a formal decision to investigate Ling Jihua was reached! [Another conclusion reached was that] it was wrong that Li Yuanchao conducted a “virtual vote”! This was the root cause for the major changes at the 18th Party Congress!
The number two plan was about controlling the finance system. The plan was to allow Wang Qishan and Zhu Rongji’s subordinates to plan a series of measures to control China’s finance, thoroughly under the leadership of secretary Jiang and Meng Jianzhu along with control of China’s security agency. This was the next step in advancing the purview of the public security authorities. Following secretary Meng Jianzhu becoming the Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, the role of this post changed from simply protecting the security of society and the old revolutionaries to also being part of a political package with Xi becoming General Secretary and Chairman [Meng’s position was part of the deal for Xi assuming his top post; this way, according to Guo, Meng would be close-by to ensure that Xi holds to the bargain.] This is where the word “Meng the Regent” (孟监国) comes from! Several people beside Meng Jianguo also carried out the division, and at the same time decided who should fall! A complete monopoly over the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission. Finance, politics, sand law were divided, and Wang Qishan became a member of the Standing Committee! He wanted to become the CCDI secretary! Eliminate all those who had betrayed Jiang’s family! And had betrayed Zhu’s people! Through control of China’s finance sector! This was so if the future General Secretary and Chairman [Xi Jinping] didn’t do what he was told, the finance sector could be used to control him! Because if there’s an incident in the finance sector the Chairman and General Secretary must step down!
Mr Zeng Qinghong appointed Guo Shengkun as Minister of Public Security, Secretary Jiang Zemin appointed Meng Jianzhu as the Politics and Legal Affairs Commission Secretary! That’s all so if he doesn’t do what he’s told, the knife handle is not handed over! Then they collectively recommended Fan Changlong and Xu Qiliang and Fang Fenghui get the gun trigger [control of the military], and thoroughly eliminated Zhang Xinsheng, all Hu’s people. This series of moves was to allow everyone to see why Chairman Xi is really just a puppet!! He is only the Chairman of State based on Jiang’s terms!
After implementing the plan to kill Ling Gu, all of these people were nothing more than targets.
A separate plan was one to control Chairman Xi. I won’t speak about this today. Chairman Xi’s family, and especially Peng Liyuan’s younger brother Peng Lei, you must go find out yourself who was in control of all your whereabouts, all the places you went. Who set up electronic mapping devices via the Beijing Transit Bureau and Ministry of Public Security’s traffic bureau? They couldn’t destroy the evidence! As for Peng Lei, go check the backdoors of the special electronic mapping devices from the Ministry of Public Security Traffic Management Bureau and Beijing Municipal Traffic Management Bureau equipment that they gave you and and your sister, and you’ll know!
Xi Jinping went to Peking Union Medical, the west wing is considered a special zone, and it’s a place where central authorities go for treatment. What type of special arrangements are there each time one goes to see a doctor? General Secretary Xi, if you allow Mr. Li Zhanshu and Ding Xueshan to go inspect you’ll understand. All of General Secretary Xi’s health conditions, the electronically mapped whereabouts of his family and core staff are immediately transferred to Shanghai! They’re delivered to Mr. Jiang Mianheng. You can check and you’ll know. You don’t have to take Wengui’s word for it, just have a look and check this, this was all implemented by Meng Jianzhu and Sun Lijun.
All of Xi’s major decisions, including his way of thinking and arrest targets—and who isn’t wanted for arrest—all follow communication with Meng and Shanghai, and then communication with Wang Qishan who coordinates them. Especially after coordination is over and it’s received Mianheng’s approval, only then can it be carried out! Moreover, all of the evidence and transcripts of major cases they go abroad for deposit from Shanghai. Especially the evidence that involve Xi’s family and friends’ pasts, are all backed-up and stored in several locations. What are these for?
Of course Jiang’s family wants to exercise control over Chairman Xi! Of course Jiang’s family wants to exercise control over all 19th Party Congress Standing Committee members. How did the unexpected winner of 19th Party Congress Standing Committee come about? Only Chairman Xi knows!
Any individual can know: Politburo and Standing Committee members, the next secretary of the Standing Committee of the Politics and Legal Affairs Committee, the Ministry of Public Security head, the Military Commission chairman, head of the People’s Bank of China, vice-premier of finance. if Chairman Xi cannot fully control any of those positions, then Chairman Xi is facing enormous risk. All of them [Jiang Zemin, Jiang Mianheng, Zeng Qinghong, Meng Jianzhu, Wang Qishan, etc] are trying to control Chairman Xi!
If Chairman Xi Jinping chose to cooperate with them! All act in concert! Then our future will quickly be known, the interests of Jiang’s family and Zhu’s family, Wang Qishan’s interests, Sun Lijun’s, the wealth of the former suspects and thieves of the nation, which are growing every day. More people will be eliminated to keep these dark secrets! More people’s names will be blackened in the name of anti-corruption, and they’ll be snatched by police. The Great Firewall will grow higher and higher. China’s stability maintenance costs will mount and mount! [Chinese]
Translated by Josh Rudolph, Bluegill, Lisbeth, and Jessica; edited by Josh Rudolph.
