Xi Jinping's Article Shouts "the Party Central Committee" Four Times — Is He Conceding to Old Guards Like Wen Jiabao and Yielding the Seat to Li Qiang? Puma Shen Happily Welcomes the Taiwan Affairs Office's Campaign Help, Chiang Wan-an Stunned; Russia Bans the Sale of CCP-Made Cars, Tesla's Second-Generation Roadster Electric Sports Car Takes Off! (Old Beijing Teahouse / Episode 1777 / 2026/10/18
The main contents of this episode include: The CCP party journal "Qiushi" published an article by Xi Jinping that mentioned "major decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee" four times. Analysis suggests that behind this, there may be a power transition led by the Senate and central decision-making coordination agencies, as well as a phenomenon of diluting the one-man supremacy. The release of the second-generation Tesla Roadster by Elon Musk caused a sensation, with Chinese netizens joking about toll evasion and the disparity; meanwhile, Russia announced a ban on the entry of some Chinese-made trucks and special equipment into its market. In the Taipei mayoral election, Shen Po-yang's poll numbers are closing in on Chiang Wan-an, and the Taiwan Affairs Office's renewed sanctions on Shen Po-yang's father have been characterized as "election interference" and "counterproductive." Finally, observations and comparisons of Taiwanese society by mainland scholars and tourists were shared.
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On October 16, the lead article of the 20th issue of the CCP party journal Qiu Shi was a signed article by Xi Jinping, which was a speech delivered by Old Xi at the plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in January this year. The core content was how to advance the "comprehensive and strict governance of the Party." Highlighting this, more resolute and forceful implementation of the major decisions and deployments of the CCP Central Committee is a fundamental requirement for upholding the authority of the CCP Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership. As you know, the characteristic of the Xi-led CCP's rhetoric is that the louder they shout about something, the more it is lacking. It is obvious that the implementation of the CCP's decisions and deployments within the party is currently severely inadequate, which is why this article was published. Surprisingly, the article mentions "the major decisions and deployments of the CCP Central Committee" four times throughout. You know, in previous years, Xi also mentioned "the major decisions and deployments of the CCP Central Committee" from time to time, but after Xi reached the pinnacle of power at the 19th National Congress of the CCP, such rhetoric was mostly for show, because Xi was the "CCP Central Committee." However, after rumors of Old Xi suffering a stroke spread in July 2024, the "CCP Central Committee" and "centralized and unified leadership" staged a comeback, and Old Xi gradually became just one member of the "CCP Central Committee." Although Old Xi recaptured some power in January this year due to the downfall of Zhang Youxia, signs of his weakened power frequently reappeared soon after. Therefore, at this critical juncture, this little essay of the Steamed Bun banging the table to scare the cat was released, desperately highlighting the position of the "Central Committee." What does this indicate? First, there are too many two-faced people, and Old Xi is getting anxious. Second, they can only pull out the CCP Central Committee; relying on Old Xi alone only draws a chuckle, and the General Secretary's status is becoming increasingly pathetic. So who on earth is leading the weakening of Xi's status and the changes in power within the CCP? The answer is hidden in the latest issue of Qiu Shi. In this issue, besides Xi's article, there is an editorial commentary further interpreting how to implement "the major decisions and deployments of the CCP Central Committee," and finally mentioning that the upcoming Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee will make deployments regarding this. The other three articles, including one by Wang Xipeng, a researcher at the China Discipline Inspection and Supervision Academy, titled "Improving the Mechanism for Implementing Major Decisions and Deployments of the CCP Central Committee," answered the question just raised. The article states that the decision-making and consultative coordination institutions of the CCP Central Committee play a role in top-level design, overall coordination, holistic advancement, and supervision of implementation in major work. Pay close attention: when was the Central Decision-Making and Consultative Coordination Institution established? At the end of June 2025. On June 30 of last year, the Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee held a meeting hosted by Xi Jinping. Instead of discussing economic issues, the meeting discussed a political topic, which was the establishment of the decision-making and consultative coordination institutions of the CCP Central Committee and the formulation and promulgation of the Regulations on the Work of the Decision-Making and Consultative Coordination Institutions of the CCP Central Committee. Reports at the time stated that the establishment of this institution is an important institutional arrangement to improve the CCP Central Committee's centralized and unified leadership over major work and to promote the implementation of major tasks. All analysts understood at the time that establishing this institution [outside] of the Political Bureau was extremely unusual. This not only means that Xi's status is weakening, but it also means that certain individuals, very likely CCP elders, have entered this power structure and are using this institution to legally control the political situation. After all, these elders have long since left office, and without a proper title, their words carry no weight. With such an institution, they can participate in Political Bureau meetings, participate in Political Bureau decision-making, and realize what they call the "centralized and unified leadership of the CCP Central Committee."
According to Wang Xipeng's article in "Qiushi" this time, since the establishment of the Central Decision-making and Coordination Mechanism over a year ago, it has played four major roles in significant tasks. First, top-level design. Second, overall coordination. Third, integrated advancement. Fourth, supervision of implementation. What counts as a significant task? The primary one is how to complete the power transition without causing social unrest within the Party, given that Xi's health is increasingly deteriorating. The so-called "top-level design" is highly likely to be the dilution of the "one-man supremacy" status and a return to the "collective leadership mechanism." Since Old Xi suffered a stroke, the frequency with which CCP state media has released statements about "the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee" has been quite high, and Xi himself has mentioned this phrasing multiple times. In fact, in state media articles, it has even shifted from "[Xi Jinping] steering the helm" to "the [Central Committee] steering the helm." Once the design is completed, it requires "overall coordination," "integrated advancement," and "supervision of implementation," meaning how high-ranking CCP officials express their stance, how state media reports, how it is communicated layer by layer downwards, etc., all need to be pushed forward and implemented step by step, with problems corrected as soon as they are discovered. Looking at the events of the past few months, the anomalies in the statements of high-ranking CCP officials, the fact that Xi did not send congratulatory letters to major meetings, Xi's inability to make "decisions and deployments" alone, Xi's statement that he must follow the instructions of the "Party Central Committee," and the fact that Li Qiang was just made to publicly deliver a video address on behalf of Xi at the opening ceremony of the China-North Korea Yalu River Bridge, with the image specifications being the same as Xi's—all these signs should be the work of the Central Decision-making and Coordination Mechanism. This coordination structure is somewhat similar to the Central Advisory Commission of the 1980s; it will not be a permanent institution, but merely a transitional one. Back then, members of the Central Advisory Commission could attend plenary sessions of the Central Committee, vice chairmen of the Central Advisory Commission could attend plenary sessions of the Political Bureau, and when necessary, standing committee members of the Central Advisory Commission could also attend Political Bureau meetings. Wang Xipeng's article effectively tells the outside world clearly that the weakening of Xi's power and the strengthening of Li Qiang's status are the result of the operation of the CCP Central Committee's Decision-making and Coordination Mechanism. The controllers of this mechanism are already preparing for the upcoming high-level changes, and the answer will be revealed at the Fifth Plenary Session in the near future. After all this, even if Li Qiang really does come to power, a high possibility is that it is not because Xi Jinping voluntarily handed over power to let Li Qiang take over, but rather an expedient measure that had to be taken under the pressure and constraints of the Senate (the elders). In this situation, will Xi Jinping suddenly go back on his word and depose Li Qiang again? Let us wait and see. A quick poll: do you think Li Qiang can really take the top spot? Options: 1. Yes. 2. No. 3. Unsure, continue to observe. Hurry up and type the number in the comment section.
While Huawei is still shouting to the world that its "design meets standards" after three consecutive brake pedal snaps, Elon Musk and Tesla from across the ocean have delivered a mind-blowing launch event, truly demonstrating what "far ahead" actually means. Sci-fi movies have turned into reality—driving upside down and leaping over obstacles are no longer a problem. On October 15, US local time, Tesla held a launch event for the second-generation Roadster electric sports car (equipped with SpaceX cold-gas thruster technology and underbody vacuum fans) at SpaceX's McGregor testing facility near Waco, Texas. The event kicked off with a high-difficulty demonstration: a white sports car rushed up a curved ramp at high speed, then used the suction generated by its vacuum fan system to drive tightly against the ramp's surface and continue driving completely upside down. During the run, the vehicle launched into the air, rotated, hovered, and finally landed smoothly, even leaping over a lineup consisting of a Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck, Semi, and Cybercab in a flip-like maneuver. Following the successful demonstration, Musk took the stage and said in a calm yet slightly humorous tone, "Well, it worked. So, it can basically fly like a rocket." At the launch event, the vehicle's astonishing acceleration was also showcased: taking only 0.81 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph. Its speed is equally matchless; Tesla claimed that the car's top speed can reach 370 km/h, positioning it as Tesla's "last human-driven car." Musk added that the target speed for the production version might reach half the speed of sound—around 616 km/h—and will "break every track record." Another piece of good news is that production for the Roadster will begin in 2028. While Tesla has not officially announced the final price, the market expects it to exceed $250,000. Reservations are now open, requiring interested buyers to first pay a $5,000 deposit, followed by an additional $45,000 within 10 days of the initial payment. Furthermore, it is not available to just anyone—they only accept reservations from invited customers. That refers to the top-tier configuration. Stimulated by the Roadster launch event, Tesla's stock rose nearly 5% in pre-market trading on the 16th. Tech fans worldwide went wild, with "mind-blowing" being the dominant reaction. Inside the Great Firewall, it was no different, as topics like "Tesla Roadster can really fly" and "Tesla Roadster hovers and flies on site" dominated various trending search lists.
However, there is one thing slightly different: beyond the marvel at the "technology explosion," the focus of some Chinese netizens took a rather distorted turn. Having suffered under highway tolls for so long, an imaginative netizen came up with the idea of flying right over toll stations. Immediately afterwards, netizens brainstormed creative solutions on behalf of the Party, offering multiple ways to prevent Teslas from taking flight to evade tolls: for instance, mounting tanks or rockets on top of toll booths, toll collectors shouldering rocket launchers, and funniest of all, installing a giant mesh net—strikingly identical to the CCP's characteristic rocket recovery methods. While everyone else wondered how high Tesla could fly, only Chinese netizens cared about how well Tesla could dodge tolls. Moreover, William Li (Li Bin), founder of NIO—one of the Party-state's "Big Three" new energy automakers (NIO, XPeng, and Li Auto)—was also turned into comparison memes by netizens. Look right here: besides William Li, many netizens once again dragged out Huawei's "far ahead" slogan for mockery. What can you do? Huawei's "broken brake scandal" is still burning hot. Indeed, while China is still debating how much foot force is needed to brake, whether static or dynamic measurements count, and whether snapping the pedal is truly an "extreme case," Tesla's cars are already taking flight. The sense of disparity couldn't be sharper; one can only ask where Huawei gets the nerve to boast about being "far ahead" everywhere. The vehicle involved this time, the Huawei Stelato V800, is a million-yuan ultra-luxury smart EV jointly developed by Huawei and JAC Motors under the "Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance" (HIMA) model. Following the "broken brake scandal," JAC Motors' stock plummeted by the daily limit for two consecutive days on October 8 and 9, wiping out over 10 billion yuan in market capitalization. Then came an unexpected twist: right when Stelato was busy pushing "rumor refutations," Father Russia took the lead in taking action, saying "no" to several Chinese-made vehicles. Sputnik News reported on October 13 that the Russian Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology (Rosstandart) announced a ban on placing certain Chinese-brand trucks and specialized equipment models onto the Russian market, including Dongfeng DFRZ-35, Foton 77N5BJ, XCMG XCT50G5-1S and XCA200G7-1S, as well as JAC K7. The official Russian rationale stated that these vehicles failed to meet safety requirements, involving issues with braking systems, emissions, external vehicle protrusions, seatbelt anchorages, cab protection performance, and both interior and exterior vehicle noise levels. Additionally, there were non-compliance issues regarding equipment configurations such as emergency call devices, lighting systems, and light-signaling devices. Once the news reached domestic shores, it drew ridicule from netizens: "Even your closest partner won't pamper you," "No one knows a son better than his father," and "Big Brother Mao doesn't even trust this little bastard." Just a timid question for the Wolf Warriors at the Ministry of Sprained Feet (Foreign Affairs): why aren't you "strongly condemning" and "resolutely opposing" this time? Could it really be that when a father beats his son, it's out of pure, unadulterated love?
With the Taipei mayoral election entering its final six weeks, the momentum between the two major party candidates is narrowing. In particular, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate, Puma Shen, is catching up as a dark horse, creating a "Shen wave" that directly threatens the reelection path of the incumbent Kuomintang (KMT) mayor, Chiang Wan-an. As the blue and green camps clash, the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has recently taken action again, sanctioning the foreign trade company of Shen's father, Shen Tucheng. The "pig teammate" (incompetent ally) that provides the best campaign assistance has begun its work. As expected, once the sanctions were announced, they were immediately characterized by Taiwanese officials as "election interference," proving the old saying: "helping only makes things worse." On October 16, Chiu Tai-san, Minister of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) of Taiwan, stated that the CCP's renewed sanctions on Puma Shen's father's company were "naked" election interference. The CCP has manipulated these suppression tactics against Shen several times, which will only "arouse greater resentment among the Taiwanese people." The CCP is panicking and grasping at straws, unable to distinguish between low-level red (clumsy propaganda) and high-level black (sophisticated satire), and has started acting recklessly. Chiu said that in response to the CCP's continuous election interference, including legal warfare involving cross-border suppression or overwhelming cognitive warfare, the Taiwanese government will defend its free and democratic way of life with the firmest determination. In addition to labeling it election interference, MAC Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh also mocked the CCP for "helping in the wrong way" at a regular press conference on Thursday. Liang said the CCP's attack on Puma Shen is a "one-stop" operation; besides sanctioning Shen's father's company twice, they had previously sent Hong Kongers to Taiwan to monitor him and his wife's family. The CCP keeps saying that Shen is "making money from the mainland with his dad," but the reality is that his father is a Taiwanese businessman in Ecuador, South America. His trading company places orders in China, actually helping Chinese enterprises earn money from Central and South America and helping Chinese companies earn foreign exchange; it is not earning the CCP's money at all. The TAO has completely inverted the facts. Liang also stated that from the attack on famous Taiwanese host Kevin Tsai in early October to the two-time sanctioning of Shen's father, the CCP clearly does not want Taiwanese people to have the freedom of choice, but such force will inevitably produce a counterforce. He warned that the other side thinks they can help Chiang Wan-an's campaign, but they are very likely to do the opposite, warning them to be careful that all their calculations might backfire. Regarding his father's business, Puma Shen emphasized again that the facts are not as described. He noted that they had published full-page smear reports before, and now they are just repeating the same old tricks. Regarding the debunking of the content, we have spoken about it many times: our family was doing business in Ecuador, and they twisted it into something like being a "pro-China Taiwanese businessman." But in any case, I think since it is an old rumor, if they want to repeat their old tricks, they will naturally see the consequences. The TAO stated that no matter where your father does business, I am determined to smear you.
On another note, while Puma Shen was being thoroughly smeared by the CCP, he accepted an exclusive interview with pan-blue media figures Wang Wei-chung and Jaw Shaw-kong. Immediately, a scene of widespread acclaim emerged, and he unexpectedly attracted many centrist voters, causing the Taipei mayoral race to fall into a fierce battle. According to a poll released by Taiwan's TVBS in early October, the support rates for Chiang Wan-an and Puma Shen reached 49% and 41% respectively, with about 11% of centrist voters yet to decide. However, the gap between the two sides has narrowed significantly from 28 percentage points at the end of May to 8 percentage points. Puma Shen said, "Thank you to the CCP's Taiwan Affairs Office." The TAO responded, "Lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own feet—this is all what we should do, keep it for the final reckoning." Of course, since this is Taipei, which has a fundamental "blue greater than green" base, whether Puma Shen can turn the tide remains to be seen. Regarding the TAO's latest election interference tactics, both blue and green voters in Taipei told Voice of America that they would not be affected at all. Liu Chun-hsin, a Taipei voter who supports Puma Shen, said that the CCP has been suppressing Taiwan and Taiwan independence for decades, which "makes no sense." For someone in his 50s like him, he is long used to it; instead, "it only increases Puma Shen's momentum." The Taiwanese people have seen through it all. Huang Wen-liang, a Taipei voter who supports Chiang Wan-an, said that opposing "Taiwan independence" and disliking Puma Shen are the main reasons he decided to vote for Chiang Wan-an at the end of November. Huang claims to be a centrist voter who has supported both blue and green candidates. He said, "Although I plan to vote for Chiang Wan-an, I am completely indifferent to the CCP's sanctions on Puma Shen's father." Listening to all this, the Taipei mayoral election feels a bit like the US election; regardless of whether it is the Democratic Party or the Republican Party, they fight each other to the death, but when the CCP is mentioned, they unite as brothers and fight the CCP together. Du Sheng-tsung, director of the Department of Radio and Television at Ming Chuan University in Taipei, said that the CCP's election interference is just "getting a kick out of it," and the effect is "minimal." It will only strengthen the support of "Shen wave" voters for Puma Shen, especially since Taiwanese voters have gradually built "antibodies" to the CCP's influence. Both the blue and green camps are very clear about this. The few clowns at the TAO should probably start thinking about flexible employment, or get some paint ready and find Zhao to paint some boundary markers.
Recently, a video clip has been circulating on overseas social media platforms in which Zheng Yuhuang, a former professor at Tsinghua University, shares his impressions of Taiwanese society. He even uttered a remark that the CCP fucking hates to hear: when you arrive in Taiwan, you will realize that China can look entirely different. Zheng Yuhuang once led Tsinghua MBA students to Taiwan for academic exchange; this video captures the profound realizations he drew from his own unvarnished observations of Taiwanese society. So, what does Taiwan look like in Zheng Yuhuang's eyes? He illustrated it from three aspects. First, the standard of urban management and the high civic quality of ordinary citizens. Second, Taiwan's open and approachable public service models. Third, the preservation of traditional culture and the reverence for teachers and learning. Look here: that last line about the child-rearing subsidy truly stings—300 yuan a month from age zero to three, but the catch is you might not even get it, and even if you do, by the time it reaches your hands, that 300 is probably down to just 30; what's worse, in quite a few places, officials have already been calling people one by one demanding the return of the 30-yuan subsidies that were already disbursed. Zheng Yuhuang's impressions of Taiwan are by no means an isolated view; recently, a mainland Chinese lawyer-blogger also shared profound reflections after traveling to Taiwan. Look right here: what resonates most is this line from the blogger: "These things simply cannot be bought with money, nor can they be forged in just a few years; they must be slowly nurtured through generations of family education and social atmosphere—this time, I truly have to take my hat off." The CCP says: sure enough, there is no hurt without comparison, and controlling the exit of ordinary peons brooks no delay, because all crows under heaven must be equally black; Hong Kong has already been blackened, and with political propaganda and military intimidation, let's see how much longer Taiwan can hold out. That warning echoes by our ears once again: people of Taiwan, Hong Kong only demonstrates once. New tea friends, don't forget to click subscribe and the notification bell.
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