Chinese ‘coup plotters’ named by top official

A SENIOR official in China’s Communist Party has claimed that high-ranking members had plotted to topple President Xi Jinping.

Liu Shiyu, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said a group of former political heavyweights who had been snared in Mr Xi’s corruption crackdown had sought to “seize state power”.

Since he assumed power in 2012 Mr Xi has launched a war on corruption which has proved popular among the public, but critics say it is a tool to sideline opponents. The Chinese president has previously denied that there was a “power struggle”, but Mr Liu’s comments are in contrast to the party’s carefully-crafted image of unity.

Among the officials named by Mr Liu was Zhou Yongkang, former Politburo Standing Committee member and security chief. He also named Bo Xilai, the party chief of the south-western city of Chongqing who was brought down in a 2013 in a scandal.

Others included Sun Zhengcai, who was expelled from the party amid corruption allegations, two military officers and a former presidential aide.

“They had high positions and great power in the party, but they were hugely corrupt,” Mr Liu said. It is not the first time that a senior official has alleged friction in the Chinese leadership, but Mr Liu’s comments appear to be the first to name officials.