By Li Ping

As Hong Kong suffers under the Wuhan virus, during Carrie Lam’s report on work, although Xi Jinping expressed his concern and worries about Hong Kong’s handling and control of the epidemic, he fully affirmed Carrie Lam’s “responsible performance”, and praised her for demonstrating patriotism for both China and Hong Kong. As such, there has been speculation regarding Carrie Lam’s career trajectory. In fact, with the Hong Kong Liaison Office openly showing governance rights to Hong Kong, its reorganization is even more attention-seeking than the candidates for the Chief Executive. Rumor has it that the Liaison Office is about to clean the house, to get a new group of Chinese officials who have nothing to do with Hong Kong, all to show that the CCP only seeks political correctness for the candidates and teams for governing Hong Kong. It only wants Carrie Lam-style foolish devotion and Carrie Lam-style patriotism. It does not care if the people have feelings for Hong Kong, or whether they have the ability to lead Hong Kong to stability and prosperity.

Xi Jinping received the report on work by Carrie Lam over video chat after the fifth plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. One point of connection is the selection criteria set by the CCP for leading cadres to protect the regime. In the recent propaganda by the CCP mouthpiece, it has been stressed that Xi Jinping’s “three political strengths” have been mentioned three times this month. They are political judgment, political understanding, and political execution. Judging from the failure of Carrie Lam’s strong push of the extradition bill amendment, her three political strengths are either negative or zero. However, during her report on work in December 2019, she was fully affirmed by Xi Jinping with regard to her courage and responsibility. And this time around, she was even praised highly for turning Hong Kong from chaos to governance, once again cementing the principle of patriots to rule Hong Kong.

How has Carrie Lam demonstrated her three political strengths and her patriotic love for China and Hong Kong? By the common sense of Hongkongers, if this isn’t “high-level black”, this would be an extraordinary sci-fi. Yet, if her ability was praised by the topmost leader, it means that somehow she passed the standards of the CCP, and met the needs for the CCP to maintain a one-party dictatorship. She has especially met the needs of the “two safeguards” (maintaining the core status of Xi Jinping within the party’s Central Committee, the core of the entire party, Central authority, and centralized and unified leadership).

This year is key to whether Xi Jinping can ensure the eternal core position in next year’s 20th National Congress of the CCP. Whether in the mainland or in Hong Kong, Xi Jinping must ensure that his power is neither challenged nor weakened. Therefore, eight years of Xi Jinping has led to the dismissal of over a thousand provincial and military cadres. Claiming that an overwhelming victory has been achieved in the anti-corruption campaign, they will be taking it up another notch this year. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has announced seven cases of corruption-busting cases in 11 days. The more extraordinary thing is that the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection emphasized the need to crack down on corruption cases in which “political and economic issues are intertwined and threaten the political security of the party and the country”. Xinhua News Agency pointed out when interpreting Xi Jinping’s speech, that political corruption is the greatest corruption, and some corrupt elements are forming organizations in an attempt to steal from the party and state power, to engage in non-organizational activities.

CCP’s mouthpieces have also been promoting illegal coal-mining in Qinghai’s Muli mining area, illegal construction of villas in the Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi, and environmental pollution in the Qilian Mountains, all of which have been resolved only after repeated instructions by Xi Jinping. They emphasized the need to investigate political discipline and promote fundamental resolve of issues. These public opinions show that there may not be anyone left in the party who could compete with Xi Jinping, but there are many groups all around trying to challenge his authority. Therefore Xi Jinping sees an urgent need to strengthen power inside and outside the party, home and abroad.

The CCP’s power struggle and power control are packaged within a shell of anti-corruption within the power, while in Hong Kong, it is wrapped in a skin of patriotism for China and Hong Kong. Xi Jinping started the new year with an internal party purge and power consolidation with the Central Discipline Inspection Commission’s plenary session, as well as the “reform” of the governance of Hong Kong and power consolidation with the report on work by Hong Kong’s Chief Executive and a “reform” of the Hong Kong Liaison Office.

According to reports, after the major reorganization of the Liaison Office of the Central Committee, many successors have nothing to do with Hong Kong at all. To put it nicely, they can be “more objective and scientific” in their analysis of the Hong Kong problem. In reality, these Chinese officials who have nothing to do with Hong Kong have no feelings for Hong Kong and its people. They have never read or even want to open this incomprehensible book of Hong Kong. They only know one country, not two systems. They only follow orders, but not respect the sentiments and opinions of Hongkongers.

Xi Jinping said that only when patriots rule Hong Kong can the central government’s comprehensive governance over the SAR be effectively implemented, for various deep-seated problems to be effectively resolved, and for Hong Kong to achieve long-term peace and stability. However, one only needs to look at the governing effectiveness of his highly-praised patriot Carrie Lam to see that the so-called patriots are nothing more than a lover of the party and the leader, and are only “foolish + selfish”. Therefore it can be deduced that whether Carrie Lam will be re-elected is irrelevant to the CCP’s governance of Hong Kong. What is important is the guarantee of the “two safeguards”, and whether the Emperor is satisfied.

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