WSJ: Top Chinese Economist Criticizes Xi Jinping and disappears

The deputy director of the Institute of Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), an economist Zhu Hengpeng has come under investigation for criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping in a private chat. He was detained and removed from his post, and then he disappeared.

The American newspaper The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) writes about it with reference to sources.

In the spring of 2024, Zhu Hengpeng made several "rude remarks" about Chinaʼs weaker economy and veiled criticism of Xi Jinping in a private WeChat chat.

Because of this, a case was opened against Henpen, he was detained and fired from CASS — he worked there for 20 years and was the deputy director for the last 10. In addition, references to him have been removed from the online staff list at one of the Tsinghua Universityʼs centers.

It is not known what exactly Henpen is accused of and whether he has been provided with a lawyer. He last appeared in public in late April when he spoke at a traditional conference on elderly care, where he suggested that young Chinese should pay into their parentsʼ pension funds (an idea that has sparked outrage in Chinaʼs online space).

Zhu was also scheduled to speak at a scientific conference on May 25 — his speech was announced the day before the event. However, Zhu was neither mentioned as a speaker nor as a participant in the post-conference report — someone else spoke in his place.

Where the economist is now and what happened to him is unknown. His name disappeared from the lists of the CASS employees, he did not respond to e-mails from WSJ and The Guardian, and no one answered the door to his Beijing apartment. The Chinese agency that handles media inquiries did not respond to requests for comment.

The investigation against Henpen coincided with a time when senior CASS employees were required to sign formal commitments to abide by the "10 Prohibitions," a list of prohibited actions that, among other things, prohibits the publication of "inappropriate material" and cooperation with foreign organizations without the permission of the Communist Party.

Earlier, Chinese scientists told the media about the growing fear in the scientific community. They are afraid to give negative assessments of the economic, social or political situation in China because of the threat of repression.