Wang Lijun, Social Media, and China's Power Struggles

The scandal involving former Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun is bringing to light larger power struggles within the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP. And one of the biggest ways it's doing that is through social media.

[Chen Zhifei, NTD Senior Analyst]:
“It's really very instrumental in changing people's attitudes, in bringing news - it changed the whole society.”

After Wang Lijun fled to the US consulate two weeks ago, he was taken to Beijing by Chinese state security officials. At first, Chinese state-run media reported that he was on a "vacation-style medical treatment," due to stress on the job.

But China’s social media, especially microblogs like Sina Weibo, exploded with a very different take on the situation.

[Chen Zhifei, NTD Senior Analyst]:
"If you go online, you could see the pictures that show political vehicles, dozens of them, one after another on the highway driving to Chongqing. You could see police vehicles surrounding the compound of the American consulate in Chengdu. It's remarkable."

People are getting their news through social media because it's harder to censor than traditional media. Sheer volume means that deleted or censored information can be quickly reposted by other users. There are more than 250 million users on Sina Weibo alone.

But as different factions within the CCP vie for power, social media can become a very powerful tool for them as well.

[Chen Zhifei, NTD Senior Analyst]:
"Some people intentionally want the news to be known, to be spread abroad, because they want to use it as leverage for their own fight in the Party."

After Wang Lijun left the US consulate, images began circulating online that proved he had been taken to Beijing by central authorities.

[Chen Zhifei, NTD Senior Analyst]:
"There were even photos about his flight number and his boarding cards shown online. That's incredible."

According to Chen, that type of information leak is likely to come from higher-level leadership within the CCP. He also says that social media can be a valuable tool for telling how the pendulum of support within the CCP is swinging.

[Chen Zhifei, NTD Senior Analyst]:
"Don't disregard the mill of the rumors, that's what I would like to suggest to everybody."

In the past, their tight grip on media allowed the Chinese regime to keep political infighting mostly a secret.

Control like that is getting harder, with the ever-growing number of chat rooms, social networks, and online media.