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Chinese Tycoon Under Investigation for Challenging Top Leader's Authority,
Observers Say

Joyce Huang

   Chinese property tycoon Ren Zhiqiang, who went missing last month after
   criticizing top leader Xi Jinping for what he said was the government's
   mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak, is being investigated by the
   Communist Party's disciplinary watchdog.

   In a statement released late Tuesday, the party's Commission for
   Discipline Inspection in Beijing's Xicheng district announced that Ren
   -- a party member and a former top executive of state-controlled
   property developer Huayuan Real Estate Group -- is under investigation
   for what it called "serious violations of law and discipline."

   The statement gave no further details.

   Analysts argue, the investigation is meant to send a clear message that
   any challenge to Xi's authority will not be tolerated. They say it also
   indicates the top leadership's division and unease about growing
   domestic and international calls for holding the Communist leadership
   accountable for the global pandemic.

   "The message is pretty scary because clearly the Chinese Communist
   Party wants to silence everyone, any critical voice about the way the
   government has managed the coronavirus crisis," said Jean-Pierre
   Cabestan, political science professor at the Baptist University of Hong
   Kong.

   "Xi cannot afford having his grip over the country openly questioned,
   which may generate a buildup of dissonance within the party," said
   Kenneth Chan, another political scientist at the university.

   Wang Dan, former Tiananmen protest student leader, agreed that China's
   message -- Xi's authority is not to be challenged -- is clear.

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