Chinese property mogul jailed after Xi Jinping ‘clown’ jibe
Ren Zhiqiang criticised president’s handling of Covid crisis shortly before being indicted on corruption charges
A Chinese billionaire has been jailed for 18 years just months after publicly describing the country’s president as a “clown” over his handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
Proprety tycoon Ren Zhiqiang was placed under investigation in April over charges relating to corruption, bribery and embezzlement of public funds. According to a newly released statement from the Beijing No 2 Intermediate Court, the 69-year-old has been imprisoned and fined 4.2 million yuan (£485,000) after he “voluntarily confessed to all charges”.
The court said that Ren - who according to Al Jazeera was once part of the ruling Communist Party’s “inner circle” - had accepted bribes worth 1.25m yuan and embezzled almost 50m yuan.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But as the BBC notes, “rights groups have consistently accused China of using corruption charges as a way to clamp down on dissent” - and many believe that Ren, nicknamed the “Big Cannon” for his outspokenness, may be the victim of those tactics.
Ren landed in hot water in February after penning an essay criticising the Chinese leadership’s response to the Covid pandemic.
“What stands there is not an emperor showing off his ‘new clothes’, but a clown who wants to be an emperor even without clothes on,” he wrote in the blog post. “He would not hide by the slightest his ambition to be an emperor and his determination to eradicate anyone in the way.”
The Times reports that Zen was “thought to have some political immunity because of his links to senior politicians”. However, he disappeared in March and was confirmed to be under investigation by Beijing in April.
China’s court system “has a conviction rate of around 99%” and “corruption charges are often used to go after Communist Party insiders who fall afoul of the leadership”, CNN reports.
As the BBC’s China correspondent Stephen McDonell says: “If you have not lived in China recently, it might be hard to imagine just how much of a line you are crossing when you publicly criticise Xi Jinping.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Fallout: one of the 'most faithful – and best – video game adaptations'
The Week Recommends This 'genre-bending' new Amazon series is set in a post-apocalyptic wilderness where survivors shelter below ground
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'Test of faith for Trump Media's investors'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Will Iran attack hinder support for Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Pro-Kyiv allies cry 'hypocrisy' and 'double standards' even as the US readies new support package
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How powerful is Iran?
Today's big question Islamic republic is facing domestic dissent and 'economic peril' but has a vast military, dangerous allies and a nuclear threat
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US, Israel brace for Iran retaliatory strikes
Speed Read An Iranian attack on Israel is believed to be imminent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How green onions could swing South Korea's election
The Explainer Country's president has fallen foul of the oldest trick in the campaign book, not knowing the price of groceries
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Ukraine's battle to save Kharkiv from Putin's drones
The Explainer Country's second-largest city has been under almost daily attacks since February amid claims Russia wants to make it uninhabitable
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
India elections 2024: the logistics of world's biggest vote
The Explainer More than 10% of the world's population is registered for a historic democratic exercise, with PM Modi likely to dominate again
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Less than total recall
Editor's Letter Why our brains want to forget the darkest days of the pandemic
By Theunis Bates Published
-
Erdogan set back in key regional elections
Speed Read The main opposition party flipped or held Turkey's biggest cities, including Istanbul
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published