Xi’s Executioner Purged! Wen Jiabao & Zhang Youxia Strike Back?

On June 9, 2025, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Chinese Communist Party issued a bombshell announcement. Gao Yichen, 75, former deputy director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Handling and Preventing Cults, is under investigation for alleged serious violations of party discipline and state law. The statement did not disclose the timing or specific nature of the offenses, but its emphasis on Gao's former role, a critical position in the agency tasked with suppressing Falun Gong, has sparked widespread speculation. Is Gao Yichen's political downfall connected to this notorious campaign of repression? And more significantly, coming right before June 10, a date loaded with symbolic meaning in the CCP's history, could this move signal a major shift in party policy? Are Wen Jiabao and Jiang Yuxi preparing to join forces for something big? Let's explore these questions in today's program. Gao Yichen A Symbol of Brutal Repression Gao Yichen is no stranger to the inner workings of the Chinese Communist Party. From 1992 to 2005, he served as vice minister of state security, overseeing intelligence gathering and the coordination of China's vast overseas spy network. According to reports by the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, WIPFG, the CCP maintains roughly 40,000 undercover agents operating abroad under the guise of journalists, scholars, business people, or even political refugees. With 13 years at the Ministry of State Security, Gao was seen as the mastermind behind this network, a key architect in exporting China's repressive policies globally. In 2005, Gao was reassigned as the executive deputy director of the 610 Office, an extralegal agency established on June 10, 1999, under orders from Jiang Zemin, with the sole mission of eradicating Falun Gong. Often likened to Nazi Germany's Gestapo, the 610 Office did not just persecute Falun Gong practitioners inside China, but expanded its operations abroad through surveillance, harassment, and propaganda campaigns. During his decade-long tenure from 2005 to 2015, Gao was directly or indirectly linked to numerous cases of persecution. Verified statistics show at least 1,272 Falun Gong practitioners were tortured to death during this period, not to mention countless arrests, detentions, and horrifying allegations of live organ harvesting, crimes that have shocked the conscience of humanity. The announcement by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on June 9, 2025, just one day before the anniversary of the 610 Office's founding, is unlikely to be a coincidence. It comes at a sensitive moment, with public memory of the Tiananmen Square Massacre and the CCP's brutal crackdowns still casting a long shadow. Is Gao Yichen's downfall the first step toward the CCP reckoning with its past, or merely a calculated political move to ease growing domestic and international pressure? The answer may lie in the shifting balance of power behind the scenes, where figures like Wen Jiabao and Zhang Yuxia appear to be emerging as key players in shaping the future. Amid the turbulent political landscape of China, Wen Jiabao, the former premier of the Chinese Communist Party from 2003 to 2013, stands out as a unique figure. Though long retired, he is remembered as a reform-minded leader who dared to step into the Party's forbidden zones. Since 2012, sources in Beijing have revealed that Wen repeatedly advocated for a re-evaluation of the Tiananmen Square Massacre and called for justice for Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang, two reformist leaders who fell from grace for supporting democratic change. More notably, Wen is believed to have spearheaded efforts to redress the persecution of Falun Gong, a peaceful spiritual practice brutally suppressed by the CCP since 1999. In a closed-door meeting at Zhongnanhai, Wen Jiabao once openly criticized the crackdown initiated by Zhang Zemin. He reportedly stated, Six or seven years ago, or even earlier, the devastating consequences of persecuting Falun Gong were already evident. Our investigations found that Zhang Zemin used an astonishing amount of state resources to target an unarmed civilian group. It was utterly irrational. He also condemned the crime of live organ harvesting, asking, removing organs from living people without anesthesia and profiting from it. How can any human being do such a thing? When Wang Lijun fled to the U.S. consulate in Chengdu in 2012 and exposed these atrocities, Wen was the first to call for the prosecution of Bo Xilai, seeing it as a critical opportunity to address the Falun Gong issue once and for all. This has gone on for years. We're about to retire and still haven't resolved it. Now the Wang Lijun incident has brought it to global attention. If we're going to deal with Bo Xilai, we must also resolve the Falun Gong issue. Let the river flow where it should, he said. However, during his time in office, Wen lacked control over the military, a crucial factor for implementing real reforms. The conservative faction, led by Zhou Yongkang and Zhang Zemin's loyalists, effectively blocked his every move. Now, with the reported backing of Zhang Youxi, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, who is rumored to have stripped Xi Jinping of his military authority, Wen Jiabao may finally have a chance to realize his long-held vision. Does this emerging alliance have the courage and strength to confront the CCP's dark legacy, dismantle the persecution apparatus against Falun Gong, and pave the way for true reform in China? Xi Jinping, the fall of a leader The signs of Xi Jinping's decline are becoming increasingly apparent. Once hailed as the core of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi is now seen by many as a puppet manipulated by more powerful factions. According to multiple sources, Zhang Youxia, with the backing of Wen Jiabao, has directly intervened to strip Xi of his control over the military. A development that marks an unprecedented turning point in modern Chinese political history, where control of the military has always been the cornerstone of leadership power. But it doesn't stop there. Xi Jinping's transnational campaign of repression against Falun Gong, ramped up in 2022, exposed his desperation to maintain authority. According to the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, in a secret meeting in October 2022, Xi personally ordered the Political and Legal Affairs Commission to coordinate with National Security, Police, Foreign Affairs, and United Front Departments to target the founder of Falun Gong, his family, and affiliated organizations such as Shen Yun Performing Arts and Feitian Academy of the Arts. This campaign, blending media propaganda with legal warfare, was carried out through an extensive overseas spy network and pro-CCP media channels, with Gao Yichen playing a central role in its development and execution. Yet Xi's strategy failed. International pressure mounted as the United Nations, the U.S. Congress, and the European Parliament repeatedly condemned the CCP for crimes such as forced organ harvesting and human rights abuses. Domestically, discontent has surged amid economic decline, rampant corruption, and a collapse in public trust. The downfall of Gao Yichen, a key enforcer of Xi's agenda, symbolizes the unraveling of his power. Adding to the unrest, social media within mainland China has seen a surge in posts referencing former leaders like Wen Jiabao, Tian Jiyun, Hu Jintao, and Wang Qishan, suggesting a quiet but growing wave of resistance to Xi Jinping's rule. Now the question looms, will figures like Wen Jiabao and Zhang Youxia, who appear to hold the real reins of power, seize this moment to reverse Xi's oppressive policies and usher in a new era for China? Wen Jiabao, looking up at the stars, and the aspiration to save the nation. There is no denying that the persecution of Falun Gong, which began in 1999, plunged China into an unprecedented moral crisis. Falun Gong, a spiritual practice based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, once attracted tens of millions of followers before being banned by Jiang Zemin. The CCP's assault on this peaceful, unarmed group not only exposed the brutal nature of the regime, but also shattered the moral foundation of Chinese society. The spread of corruption, the rise in injustice, and widespread social disillusionment, all can be traced back to this campaign of repression. If Wen Jiabao and his allies truly moved to vincate Falun Gong, it would not only be a natural and long overdue step, but also a potential key to resolving many of China's deepest problems. A society that respects truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance would see a revival of public trust, a reduction in social ills, and a path forward toward genuine national renewal. It would be, as many hope, an act that aligns with the will of heaven and wins the hearts of the people, and perhaps divine favor as well. On May 14, 2007, in his role as premier, Wen Jiabao delivered a spontaneous and stirring speech at Tongji University. There is a philosophical saying, A nation that has people who look up at the stars is a nation with hope. A nation that only focuses on what's at its feet has no future. Our people are a people full of hope. I hope these students will often look up at the stars, learn to be human, learn to think, learn knowledge and skills, and become individuals who care about the fate of the world and of the nation. These words not only inspired a generation of youth, but also reflected Wen Jiabao's deeper longing for a China that rises above petty struggles and embraces enduring, noble values. Inspired by this sentiment, Wen later penned a poem titled Looking Up at the Stars, published in a literary supplement of The People's Daily on September 4, 2007. The poem expressed a vision far removed from the CCP's atheism and ideology of struggle. In China's tightly controlled political climate, this message stood out like a flicker of light in the darkness. According to the Epoch Times, commentator Zhu Xiaohui observed that Wen's poem reflected a human spirit not yet extinguished and a deep yearning for truth. Having seen firsthand the darkness of the CCP's inner workings, Wen Jiabao understands the regime's ruthless nature. If he chooses the right path and makes full use of support from Zhang Youxia and other allies, he could lay the foundation for a true revival of the Chinese nation and leave an enduring mark on history. A defining moment. The political downfall of Gao Yichen and the unfulfilled aspirations of Wen Jiabao have brought China to a historic crossroads. Redressing the injustice against Falun Gong is not only a matter of justice, it is the key to restoring morality, public trust, and the nation's future. Wen Jiabao, with his vision of looking up at the stars, has a chance to make history, but doing so will require extraordinary courage to confront the CCP's dark legacy. Time will tell. We must continue to watch closely, resisting the urge to draw conclusions too quickly, while never giving up hope. Can China look up at the stars and rediscover hope, or will it continue to sink into darkness? The answer lies in the resolve and integrity of those who hold power today. What do you think about these latest developments? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Thank you, and we'll see you in the next program.