Jin Renqing's Dismissal

Chinese Finance Minister Jin Renqing (金人庆, pictured) recently resigned, and the official reason cited was that Jin had done so due to "personal reasons."

Citing undisclosed sources, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (南华早报) reported that Jin had a mistress who had also been romantically linked to another official currently under investigation for corruption. Other Hong Kong papers also reported likewise, with variations and elaborations of this "romantic" link.

But according to the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times (大纪元时报), Jin's resignation had to do with his illegal transfer of money in the wake of Jiang Zemin's (江泽民) crackdown on the Falun Gong (法轮功) spiritual sect.

Citing undisclosed sources, the paper reported on 7 September 07 that since the crackdown began in 1999, funds had been transferred from various sources to help Jiang crack down on the spiritual sect. Initially, Jiang thought that the crackdown would be swift, and that the sect would crumble after a while. But the group proved to be more resilient than earlier thought, and hence more funds had to be diverted from various sources, including provinces, ministries and the military.

Money that were diverted were used to run mandatory "brain-washing" schools and classes which Falun Gong practitioners had to attend, as well as prisons and rehabilitation centers. Funds were also needed to counter and tackle the influence and publicity of Falun Gong groups based overseas.

By the end of 2002, the money that had been diverted had to be "returned", as the military and various ministries had become impatient and wanted their money back. It was then that Jin, in his capacity as Finance Minister, and with the backing of Jiang, purportedly diverted funds from elsewhere to return the funds to the military and ministries.

How Jin did it and where the funds were diverted from were said to be currently under investigation by the leadership headed by Hu Jintao (胡锦涛) and Wen Jiabao (温家宝). After all, the funds were clearly not authorized for transfer by the Politburo Standing Committee nor the State Council.

The report even added that more than just being "placed under investigation", Jin was kept in a safe place to "protect him from harm."

What a riveting account! But the account should be taken with a grain, even a large handful of salt given that it emanated from The Epoch Times, what I would call a one-dimensional newspaper. More than just seeking redress for and championing the rights of Falun Gong victims, the paper is basically out to tarnish the record of the Chinese government.