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Meng Hongwei, 64, disappeared from sight after taking a France-Beijing flight in late September. The international police, Interpol, announced Sunday that it had received a letter of resignation from Meng, who took office in 2016.
Beijing confirmed Monday that Meng, who was also deputy minister of public security in China, was in detention for alleged corruption.
In a tearful interview Tuesday with CNN in Lyon, France – where Interpol's head office is located – Grace Meng said her husband was a victim of "political persecution" and expressed serious concern for his safety.
Echoing her earlier statements, she said that she had decided to challenge the powerful Chinese state and communist party in power, in the interest of "all the children of China, all the wives of China and all the moms and dads of China ".
These were powerful words, amid heartbreaking emotions. Her interview had to be interrupted several times as she broke down in tears when talking about her husband and their young children. During the filming, she also received constant calls from people who, according to her, were Chinese diplomats, demanding to meet her alone.
Grace Meng might seem like an accidental hero, reacting spontaneously to the circumstances for which she was absolutely unprepared.
In several statements and interviews, she naturally focused on the suffering of her family. She told CNN how much she was afraid for herself and for the couple's twins while she continued to receive threatening messages from strangers.
But while few people doubt her sincere feelings about her husband and her family, many observers believe that Grace Meng is politically smarter than she seems – and that her highly publicized reaction the disappearance of her husband and his detention is dictated by a carefully crafted strategy. .
Grace Meng has claimed the high moral standard, describing her husband as a clean and dedicated police official, with a modest start and an aspiration to see the rule of law in China. Political dissidents and human rights defenders claim, however, that a communist leader such as Meng Hongwei, who not only survived, but prospered for decades in a government renowned for its contempt for the rights of man, is probably not an innocent victim.
Given his powerful role since 2004 as Deputy Minister of Public Security, many activists say that Meng Hongwei would not be alien to the "enforced disappearance" and other brutal tactics used against the enemies of l & # 39; State.
When he became the first Chinese leader of Interpol, some worried about the transformation of the agency into a political tool of Beijing leaders. (Despite the current irony, many of these activists say the Chinese government should treat it fairly and not deprive it of its legal rights – an unlikely prospect in the current system that it has already adopted. )
Many believe that the knife-faced emoji was a pre-arranged signal and noted that the couple's favorite instant messaging tool was WhatsApp, a platform long blocked in China but considered much safer than the Chinese applications.
Chinese observers also note that Grace Meng is strategic in what she chose to include – and leave out – in her statements.
While she rejected the government's charge of corruption against her husband and described it as poignant "anti-corruption" in China, she refrained from appointing President Xi Jinping, whose anti-corruption hangman has caught more than a million officials since. he took power in late 2001.
Critics have long described Xi's massive campaign as an attempt to eliminate his political rivals and consolidate power. Xi is now considered the most powerful Chinese leader in decades – and could govern China indefinitely after the country's parliament has canceled the presidential term limit earlier this year.
Grace Meng also pointed out that her husband was "fit" before leaving France, portraying him as a passionate swimmer and a runner who received a blank medical checkup during a recent physical exam.
The official announcement by the Chinese of Meng Hongwei's detention mentioned Tsar Zhou Yongkang, a specialist in homeland security, and many analysts see it as a sign of possible ties – even though Meng Hongwei continued to climb the ranks after the fall of Zhou, who has a life sentence in 2015 for corruption and abuse of power.
In an apparent effort to place her husband over internal political strife, Grace Meng enumerated six other senior officials in a statement, in addition to Zhou, under whom her husband served during his long career in politics. law application.
She also stayed out of national security issues, despite suggestions from some analysts that her husband may have given her secret documents or information that could harm or embarrass the Beijing leadership. .
Chinese state media pointed to Meng Hongwei's past stance as head of China's counterterrorism office and suggested that his detention may be linked to national security.
Some analysts have raised the case of a Uyghur activist as a possible link. In February, under the supervision of Meng Hongwei, Interpol upset the Chinese government by raising a long-standing warning on Dolkun Isa, a recognized Uyghur dissident, who had been granted asylum in Germany but was still considered a terrorist. by Beijing.
While the real reason for Meng Hongwei's sudden detention may remain a mystery for a long time, its dramatic fall in front of a global audience has only reinforced the long-held ideas defended by Beijing's critics: is immune to Xi's China – and the Chinese authorities are perfectly willing to flout any rule or norm to demonstrate their absolute loyalty to Xi, whether it's an international incident or not.
Such an assessment could in turn highlight the growing concern of China within multinational organizations, especially the "sinofication" of these groups if they are led by Chinese government officials – despite their Unstable political fortune, illustrated by the example of Interpol.
Grace Meng's surprising reactions to her husband's disappearance may have shed light on a counter-current. According to many observers, many members of the Chinese ruling elite feel less and less safe under Xi, they may no longer be resigned to becoming seated ducks, but instead have adopted plans for the future. increasingly sophisticated emergency that often rely on Western governments and media – their own institutions long publicly denounced or ridiculed.
Grace Meng's actions in France undoubtedly forced the Chinese government to disclose information – albeit limited – to her husband much earlier than expected, given that many inmates disappear for months or more.
His ongoing interactions with the French authorities and the international media add further pressure on Beijing to reveal his cards against Meng Hongwei.
In the midst of all this confusion, one thing seems clear: Grace Meng is perhaps the first wife of a senior Chinese official to speak against Beijing on the international stage, but she is probably not the last.
