Commentary Wiretapping political opponents plays a significant role in the power struggle among Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. China News Weekly, a state-run news magazine based in Beijing, recently published article on Liu Xinyun, vice governor of Shanxi Province since 2018. The article described Liu as a ruthless government official who “befriended political crooks and abused spying schemes.” The Public Security department reported that “Liu abused the surveillance on Shanxi’s provincial Party committee and government leaders,” according to the article. Liu, 59, was investigated in April and prosecuted in October for charges of bribery and abuse of power. He was also accused of “forming a clique within the Party.” In addition to Liu, the article also named other prominent members of the clique such as Sun Lijun, former vice minister of Public Security, and Gong Daoan, former Shanghai police chief. All three men have something in common: they held high-level positions in the …