Jiang struggles with 'conspirators'

Jiang is allegedly eager to retain an influence in politics beyond this autumn's annual congress meet

(CNN) -- A factional struggle within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has intensified with President Jiang Zemin fingering certain "conspirators and careerists" within its senior ranks.

In an internal speech early summer, Jiang said: "We must raise our guard against conspirators and careerists within the party."

"They pose a big threat to party unity and stability," added Jiang, who is also CCP General Secretary and head of its military commission.

Chinese sources familiar with the speech said the paramount leader did not say who the bad apples were -- or what they were after.

However, the sources said Jiang was targeting cadres who were opposed to his desire to maintain influence after the 16th CCP Congress slated for the autumn.

Speculation is rife that Jiang, who turns 76 next month, wants to retain both his party and military posts.

Unidentified 'conspirators'

While the president has indicated his desire to pass the baton to the younger generation, he has not stopped his aides from asking senior civilian and military cadres to write petitions asking him to remain for at least a few more years.

A party source said Jiang's unusual step of decrying unnamed "conspirators" had caused widespread disquiet -- and anger -- among Politburo members and other top cadres.

The source said a member of the Politburo Standing Committee not from Jiang's own faction, Wei Jianxing, had earlier this month asked Jiang who the conspirators were.

"Jiang refused to tell Wei, who heads the party's disciplinary commission," the source said.

"However, Jiang's close aides have recently expressed disapproval of another Politburo Standing Committee member Li Ruihuan."

Both Wei, 71, and Li, 68, have shown reluctance in taking part in propagation campaigns to extol Jiang's teachings, particularly the so-called Theory of the Three Represents (that the party represents the most advanced productivity and culture).

Moreover, Wei, who is expected to retire, and Li, due to become head of parliament next March, have urged Jiang to step down in the coming few months.

Propaganda salvo

There is also speculation in Beijing that Jiang is sending a not-so-subtle warning to Vice-President Hu Jintao and his aides not to push too hard for the 59-year-old leader's speedy assumption of power.

It is understood that Jiang and protégés such as the Head of the CCP's Organization Department, Zeng Qinghong, are unhappy with the fact that Hu has installed numerous members of his Communist Youth League Faction in central and regional positions.

Meanwhile, the president's publicists have fired another propaganda salvo to oblige cadres to rally around Jiang.

The exercise centered on the president's recent pronouncement about the 'three emphases' that "stress be put on the overall situation [of the party and nation], on unity and on stability."

Diplomatic analysts said the "Theory of the Three Stresses" was propounded by Jiang in a speech to the Central Party School on May 31.

They said the speech, only parts of which had been revealed by the official Xinhua News Agency, contained criticism of unnamed cadres who had failed to promote party unity and national stability.

The analysts added, however, that most cadres and intellectuals in Beijing had interpreted Jiang's call for unity as a demand that they support his efforts to retain a dominant say in post-16th congress politics.

They added while Jiang's close aides hoped the president could retain the post of party chief at the congress, opposition to the restitution of life tenure was rising and Jiang was under intense pressure to relinquish the general secretary's slot to Hu.