Coronavirus critic Ren Zhiqiang under investigation, Communist Party says (original) (raw)

Ren Zhiqiang, the former Chinese property tycoon and outspoken critic of the government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, is under investigation for alleged “serious violations of law and discipline”, the Communist Party’s disciplinary watchdog announced.

In a short statement released on Tuesday, the Commission for Discipline Inspection in Beijing said that Ren – a member of China’s ruling Communist Party and a former top executive of state-controlled property developer Huayuan Real Estate Group – was under investigation.

Friends say that they have lost contact with Ren, 69, since March 12 after an article he wrote criticising the way in which Chinese government responded to the coronavirus outbreak was widely shared online.

In the essay, which does not mention the top leadership by name, Ren was critical not only of the initial cover-up of the virus outbreak, but also of the way in which Beijing is now promoting its success in handling it. Additionally, he was critical of the growth of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s personal power.

Ren called the Covid-19 outbreak, which started in China and has caused more than 1.3 million infections and more than 76,000 deaths globally, a “crisis of governance” within the CCP. He also said that the lack of free press and speech had prevented the outbreak from being tackled sooner, causing the situation to worsen.