An 18-year jail term slapped on former real estate magnate Ren Zhiqiang smacks of political persecution in the name of economic crimes, as the man is known for blunt criticism of Chinese President Xi Jinping, political observers of China say.

Ren, nicknamed “Big Cannon” in mainland China, was given the long sentence and fined 4.2 million yuan (US$619,000) on Tuesday following accusations of corruption, acceptance of bribes, misappropriation of public funds and abuse of power during and after his time as chairperson of Beijing Huayuan Property.

It was a “political trial,” according to critics, as he had publicly denounced hard-line leader Xi as a “naked clown” over missteps in handling the coronavirus pandemic this year.

Veteran China watcher Johnny Lau believed that the actual length of imprisonment would depend on the relationship between Ren, 69, and the ruling Communist Party.

“If the Communist Party thinks you know what to do, then you will be released from prison after a short period of time without having to serve the whole sentence, but if you don’t, you’ll be jailed until you die, like Liu Xiaobo,” he said, referring to the Nobel Peace Prize laureate who was not granted medical parole until 2017 when he was already on the brink of death.

“It is in the nature of the Communist Party — to make use of the economy to mask its political incentives,” Lau continued. “It is not the first time that mainland authorities have made use of economic crimes to suppress dissidents.”

Past examples included businessman Mou Qizhong, who received a death sentence in 1975 for publishing articles that discussed the country’s future. He was released after four years and made a comeback as chairperson of real estate group Nande, culminating in his success as China’s wealthiest man in the 1980s before being sent back to jail in 2003 for 16 years over financial fraud.

Ethnic Uighur millionaire and political activist Rebiya Kadeer also saw her company come under allegations in 2006 of evading taxes and defaulting on bank loans after she had advocated Chinese Uighur independence for years. She has been living in self-exile in the United States since 2005.

Ren’s sentence reflected Xi’s “personal judgement” of him because his criticism of the leader’s governance represented how private Chinese enterprises thought about Xi, said Beijing-based independent commentator Wu Qiang.

“Ren has close contact with a large number of elitist private entrepreneurs. He is actually an opinion leader among those private entrepreneurs,” Wu said, pointing to the tycoon’s multiple roles in the country in addition to being a real estate developer and the head of a state-owned corporation.

“The wealth and status of those state and private entrepreneurs depend on how well they can shut up politically,” Wu added. “I believe this is the most fundamental signal sent from Ren’s severe punishment.”

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