It is a well-known secret that Zeng Qinghong is very interested in guns. In 1992, he made good use of his ability with subterfuge and helped Jiang Zemin snatch military authority from Yang Shangkun and Yang Baibing.

Recently, there have been continuous reports saying that Zeng has tried all means to become the Vice Chairman of the Military Commission of the Central Committee. Jiang Zemin’s bodyguard has already become a commanding general. For many years Zeng has exerted his full strength for Jiang. He has offended many people and built up many political opponents. If he does not get the position of Vice Chairman of Military Commission for the Central Committee, Zeng Qinghong will be very dissatisfied.

Zeng Qinghong is not only interested in grabbing military power, but is also in using that power. Within the Chinese Communist Party circle, Zeng Qinghong is infamously known for being the “Hidden Killer.” No one knows for sure how many murders he has ordered inside of China. Now, he has carried these dirty deeds abroad.

I. The Motivation of South Africa’s Shooting

On the evening of June 28, while Zeng Qinghong and Bo Xilai were visiting South Africa, nine Australian Falun Gong practitioners planned to go to the South African court to sue Zeng Qinghong. Not long after they got off the plane, while driving on a highway, they encountered gunshots fired at them. One person in the car was injured. The police in South Africa have classified the incident as an attempted murder. Zeng Qinghong naturally became the suspected culprit behind the murder. After some analysis, some observers think that Zeng Qinghong is in charge of the Chinese Communist Party’s secret service system. That person gives the orders for the secret service to hire people to murder. If it was done by the secret service, it will be difficult for the South African police to solve the case.

Zeng Qinghong is a seasoned evildoer inside of China. Instigating a shooting abroad is not a trivial matter. Many people probably wonder why Zeng Qinghong would take such a risk? What is his motivation?

It is well known that Zeng Qinghong is not afraid to take risks on dangerous tasks. Zeng Qinghong has become very bold with the success of these sneaky tricks. He thought that he would use the secret service to plan a car accident on the highway and disguise it flawlessly. He thought he would be perfectly safe. In the ruthless political fighting within Zhong Nan Hai, he has survived many vicious situations. This event in South Africa was only a small ploy for him.

What is Zeng Qinghong’s motivation? It is clear when you take a look at Zeng Qinghong’s ambition, his situation, and the purpose of the Falun Gong practitioners’ trip to South Africa - to sue Zeng.

First, let’s take a look at Zeng Qinghong’s situation in Zhong Nan Hai. Zeng Qinghong helped Jiang Zemin overthrow major Party leaders and helped Jiang to stabilize his power. Zeng cleared Jiang’s path to power. He himself also climbed to the position of National Vice Chairman and has attained a high position in the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau. He has gained more power and more control within the Chinese Communist Party.

However, Zeng Qinghong is not yet satisfied; he has even bigger ambitions. In one sense, he is unwavering in his ambitions; in another, Zeng Qinghong is merciless and ruthless and has many opponents. Within the Chinese Communist Party, the inner fighting has always been very bloody. If one does not control the Chinese Communist Party’s highest power, one will be attacked and exploited by others at will and may not be able to even protect one’s own life. Thus, Zeng will have conflicts with Hu Jintao and also makes Jiang worry.

Jiang Zemin’s interest is to firmly control China’s military power. Exerting his power, Jiang enlisted his sons in the military and has been promoting them incessantly so they can seize power. Jiang knows that Zeng Qinghong is not trustworthy in the end but he still needs Zeng to help him, to prop up his sons and protect them. Zeng Qinghong wants to take charge of the highest power within the Chinese Communist Party and has no interest in propping up Jiang’s sons. Further more, Zeng knows Jiang’s character very well. Zeng considers himself very talented and deep in his heart despises Jiang’s inability and dirty mentality. Therefore, sometimes he is seemingly in harmony with Jiang but actually at odds with him.

In recent years, Zeng Qinghong has indeed controlled some real powerful departments. However, before taking charge of the highest power, he still needs Jiang’s support. This has made the relationship between the two more and more plain to see. The persecution of Falun Gong is the stupidest thing that Jiang has done. He cannot handle it any more and is besieged on all sides. The primary motivation of Zeng Qinghong eliminating Falun Gong practitioners abroad was to show his loyalty to Jiang and his wish for Jiang to give him a hand with the ruthless inner fighting in the Chinese Communist Party in China.

As mentioned above, Zeng Qinghong has antagonized many opponents. He wants to pursue the highest position within the Chinese Communist Party. If he is sued while visiting abroad, it would be a severe blow to Zeng both politically and internationally. It will bring him lots of disadvantages in his pursuit for the highest power.

(1) He will not be welcomed internationally and his image inside China will be damaged.
(2) His political opponents will use the incident to pull him down.
(3) Persistent investigations of those who participate in the persecution of Falun Gong have made them terrified.

This was the second motivation for Zeng Qinghong to hire thugs to murder Falun Gong practitioners. It was to prevent the lawsuit against him.

In terms of condition, Zeng Qinghong is now in charge of the secret service system in the Chinese Communist Party. He can incite the secret service staff members to work for him. Moreover, the secret order of “shooting them to death” has happened many times to Falun Gong practitioners inside China. It has been documented overseas. Abroad, the shooting of Falun Gong practitioners follows from the same secret order given by Jiang.

Although Zeng Qinghong was not served with a lawsuit this time, he cannot escape the next time. If he wants to avoid being sued, he has to be the head of state. If this is to happen, he will have to have a severe collision with Hu Jintao. On the other hand, it may also increase Zeng’s will to overthrow Hu and replace him. The fighting within the Chinese Communist Party will be extremely fierce.

II. The Impact on Jiang Zemin

The master-hand that makes these dangerous ploys fail is that human planning can never compete with the arrangements of heaven. The unsuccessful scheme of employing hit men in South Africa has made Zeng Qinghong fall into a very difficult situation. It has also revealed the secret service activities overseas.

Zeng Qinghong’s original motivation was to show his loyalty to Jiang Zemin but he went too far with the South Africa shooting incident. On the contrary, he has now involved Jiang Zemin in the situation.

It is well-known that Jiang Zemin is behind the crackdown of Falun Gong. The overseas Falun Gong practitioners have also encounter harassment and intimidation. For example, windows of Falun Gong practitioners’ vehicles have been smashed, telephone lines have been monitored, and some have received threatening phone calls, to name a few incidents. In New York and Chicago, people were hired by the Chinese embassy to beat up Falun Gong practitioners. However, the shooting incident abroad is a first and is a serious matter.

The shooting incident has exposed Jiang Zemin’s persecution of Falun Gong to the international community. This is exactly what Jiang Zemin fears most. Jiang Zemin has been denying the persecution of Falun Gong and has been hiding all kinds of inhumane practices employed in the persecution. The gruesome evil deeds committed by Jiang are covered up by using high-pressure tactics inside China. The South African shooting, concocted by Zeng Qinghong, burns a big hole in this lid covering the evil deeds. This has allowed the international community to take an uncensored look at Jiang Zemin’s state terrorist activities towards Falun Gong.

The unsuccessful case of employing murderers in South Africa has been reported in many countries around the world. It has astounded and caught the attention of world’s people. The international community has observed the brutality of Jiang Zemin’s persecution of Falun Gong. Now, not only Zeng Qinghong has fallen under the heat, but also Jiang Zemin’s evil deeds have been quickly exposed. This will be a disadvantage to Jiang internationally. To top it off he is currently being sued in England, the United States, Spain, Germany and Iceland.

The shock from the unsuccessful incident of employing murderers in South Africa is spreading. Under the massive pressure inside and outside China, will Jiang Zemin cast away Zeng Qinghong in order to save himself from damage?

In 1984, Jiang Nan, a Chinese-American author, was murdered. That event induced a major political change in Taiwan, which finally led Taiwan towards democracy. What kind of impact will the South Africa shooting incident, staged by Zeng Qinghong, have in Zhong Nan Hai’s political situation?