Economist in China disappears after criticizing Xi Jinping

Daily Wrap Economist in China disappears after criticizing Xi Jinping Zhu Hengpeng, an economist from one of China's leading think tanks, has not appeared in public since April, writes the Wall Street Journal. The expert's disappearance may be related to negative remarks he posted online about the country's economic leadership by state leader Xi Jinping. Zhu, 55, was arrested and relieved of his duties in the spring when he posted "comments about China's ailing economy and a veiled criticism of Xi that referred to his morality" in a private group on the WeChat app, the WSJ reports, citing people familiar with the matter. It is not known on what charges the economist was arrested or where he is currently located. The newspaper emphasizes that it has tried in vain to contact Zhu personally and obtain information about him from the organizations he worked with and the State Council Information Office. The investigation into Zhu, who has been number two in the Institute of Economics at the government-controlled Chinese Academy of Social Sciences for the past 10 years and also deputy secretary of the local committee of the Communist Party of China, coincided with the CCP's increased efforts to suppress negative comments about the state of state finances, the WSJ points out. Zhu's name has disappeared from the list of employees of the think tank at Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University. The economist's last public appearance was in late April at a conference on elderly care organized by the business magazine Caixin. Zhu suggested at the time that China could close the funding gaps in the strained pension system by forcing young Chinese to pay their parents' pensions and issuing more bonds, Caixin reported. These comments sparked a debate on social media. According to previous plans, Zhu was supposed to speak at a conference at Tsinghua University on May 25, but his name disappeared from the list of speakers and another scientist spoke instead. As the WSJ found out, Zhu did not appear there as a participant either. Former ministers "have disappeared from the scene" In recent years, many well-known people in China have disappeared or suffered severe consequences after making remarks that the authorities believe damaged the party's image or sparked social unrest. They include former ministers of the Foreign Ministry Qin Gang and Defense Li Shangfu, well-known athletes such as tennis player Peng Shuai, the founder of Alibaba Group Jack Ma, or journalists and social activists such as Zhang Zhan and Huang Xueqin. The CCP is known for using tactics such as forced disappearances, detention without trial and intimidation to suppress resistance, assesses the Business Standard portal.