The Hu Jintao Death Hoax—and the Power Struggle Ahead of CCP’s 21st Party Congress
The claim that former Chinese Communist Party leader Hu Jintao, his wife, and their son died of food poisoning—a rumor that went viral on Chinese social media yesterday—has now been confirmed to be false.
What needs to be discussed is: Who is spreading this kind of false news? Why is it being released at this particular time? Why has this claim received such widespread attention and dissemination?
The CCP announced yesterday that the Fifth Plenum will be held in October this year. Since the CCP’s 21st National Congress next year will determine the new leadership of the CCP, the Fifth Plenum to be convened in October will inevitably involve major issues concerning the personnel arrangements for the next term.
There are currently two sharply conflicting accounts regarding Xi Jinping’s political future. One says that he is certain to remain in power. The other says that descendants of senior Party officials and military leaders are actively pushing for his removal. Some even claim that the situation will become clear by the end of August.
A noteworthy recent development is that the frequency of high-level CCP visits to North Korea has increased significantly. In addition to Xi Jinping, Wang Huning—who is in charge of CCP ideology and has crafted unique “thoughts” for three generations of CCP leaders—also led a large delegation on a “pilgrimage”-style visit to North Korea.
Some China observers believe that the visits by Xi Jinping and Wang Huning to North Korea are meant to seek advice: how to maintain long-term regime stability amid severe economic difficulties? Because this is a major challenge the CCP is already facing.
Personally, I believe the CCP’s attempt to emulate North Korea’s methods of social control may not necessarily succeed. After all, the North Korean people have never enjoyed the relative economic prosperity brought by "reform and opening up", nor any significant understanding of Western society.
In China, however, from ordinary migrant workers to the so-called middle class, and on to CCP high-level officials, senior cadres, the military, second-generation reds, and second-generation military figures, they have already lost—and are about to lose—far too much. Strong dissatisfaction with the current situation and with Xi Jinping is rapidly accumulating in Chinese society, and there is no shortage of people who want to bring Xi Jinping down.
Of course, the spy apparatus, stability-maintenance forces, and propaganda and brainwashing machinery under Xi Jinping’s control are not mere window dressing. Effective resistance is by no means easy.
However, from the perspective of natural and historical laws, anything that can only be sustained through heavy pressure is unlikely to last forever.
Therefore, before the Fifth Plenum and the 21st National Congress, who knows how many more reports of “life-or-death” struggles within the CCP will emerge. If one day an event that truly triggers the collapse of the CCP does occur, we should not be surprised.
7/31/2026
