Ren Zhiqiang, a former Chinese property tycoon and former member of the country’s ruling Communist Party (CCP), has been missing since 12 March after writing a scathing essay on the government’s efforts to tackle the coronavirus. In the piece, he called President Xi Jinping a power-hungry “clown” and criticized the CCP’s strict censorship of free speech for exacerbating the coronavirus outbreak in the country. His criticism of the Chinese leadership is nothing new. In March 2016, he was suspended from the CCP for one year for publicly criticizing Xi Jinping.
Zhiqiang, known popularly as “Cannon Ren” for his prominent criticism of the government, is the former top executive of the state-owned Huayuan Real Estate Group and a public figure whose disappearance has been widely noted by several influential Chinese academics and businesspeople. In a statement to Reuters, Wang Ying, a businesswoman and a close friend of Zhiqiang, mentioned that his loved ones are “extremely anxious” and are searching for him. Ying has also demanded a reasonable and legal explanation from the “institutions responsible for this”.
International media outlets unsuccessfully attempted to contact Zhiqiang over the weekend. The Beijing police did not respond to requests for comments on Sunday, and even the State Council Information Office has not immediately responded to faxed requests for comments.
Zhiqiang was put on probation from the CCP in 2016 as part of a punishment for his public criticism of state policy. Despite being under constant surveillance, he continued to make dissident comments until last week, when his coronavirus essay was followed by his sudden disappearance.
His absence comes as little surprise given that the Chinese government has cracked down on local media houses and social media users discussing the state’s responses to a pandemic that has infected more than 81,000 people in the country and killed over 3,200.
Renmin University history professor Zhang Ming said, “A citizen can’t just disappear, we need to know if he’s been taken by any department and where. His family and friends should know.”
Image Source: ejinsight
Former Chinese Real Estate Tycoon 'Disappears' After Criticizing Xi's Coronavirus Response
March 17, 2020
