According to Hong Kong’s Singtao Daily and SCMP and China’s Xinjiang Daily, in Xinjiang’s election of 42 Xinjiang delegates to the 18th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), CCP Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang was elected a delegate. Previously, there were various kinds of rumours on Zhou falling into disgrace as he was regarded as Bo Xilai’s close ally.

A British newspaper even reported on May 14 that Zhou had been deprived of his power, remained in his post as security tsar merely in name, and confessed his errors before other top leaders.

Domestically, the rumours seemed to have great credibility among common people. On May 4, 16 senile CCP members wrote an open letter to CCP central authority demanding the removal of Zhou from his office and disqualification of Zhou as a delegate to the coming 18th CCP Congress. The letter was published by the news…