A leading Chinese economist has disappeared from view after allegedly criticising President Xi Jinping in a private WeChat group, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Zhu Hengpeng, the deputy director at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), was arrested following remarks reportedly made that included veiled criticisms of Xi’s leadership and China’s struggling economy, the report continued.
Zhu, who has held senior positions at the academy for more than 10 years, has since been removed from his post and his name has disappeared from online directories, the story went on, following his last public appearance back in April.
The disappearance of Hengpeng is not an isolated incident. Jack Ma, the co-founder of Alibaba Group Holdings, vanished from public view after criticising Chinese regulators in 2020 and only returned to public life last year.
Read the full story: The Wall Street Journal
- By Sean O’Meara
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