No House of Cards' power struggle within Communist Party: Xi

China's President Xi Jinping today dismissed a "House of Cards' power struggle" within the ruling Communist Party, but admitted presence of"careerists and conspirators" within its ranks and warned officials to refrain from conspiring against the leadership.
Xi, 62, has warned of "cabals (factions) and cliques" in the Communist Party of China (CPC), while denying that the ousting of officials in his sweeping anti-corruption campaign pointed a "'House of Cards' power struggle."
"There are careerists and conspirators existing in our Party and undermining the party's governance. We should not bury our heads in the sand and spare these members but must make a resolute response to eliminate the problem and deter further violations," he said in a rare public speech denying that his anti-corruption campaign aimed at purging out opponents in the ruling party.

Xi's speech at a plenary session of the party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in January was published today by the CPC official newspaper, the People's Daily.
Xi, regarded as the most powerful leader after Chairman Mao Zedong by virtue of being heading the party, presidency and the military,said, "some officials have been forming cabals and cliques to covertly defy the CPC Central Committee's decisions and policies".
They "risk compromising the political security of the party and the country," he said, adding that the CPC in response will step up its anti-corruption campaign.

Thousands of officials including some top party leaders like the former security Czar Zhou Yangkong and high level military officials were punished in China's biggest anti-graft campaign initiated by Xi after he took over power in 2013.

His massive campaign evoked criticism that he is purging out his rivals leading to resentment in the party, which is ruling China since 1949.
"We must make it clear that our party's fight against corruption is not a snobbish affair that discriminates between different people, and it is not a 'House of Cards' power struggle," state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying.
He also rebutted the suspicion that the anti-graft drive is going to wind down.