Among top-level officials, Zhu and Hu have publicly supported the harsh measures.

CNN: China's sect suppression carries a high price

"Zhu said he knows the trip won't be easy, but he is amazingly calm, " says Fred Hu, head of Asia economic research for Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong and a former student of Zhu's at Qinghua.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia

Zhu "knows the trip won't be easy, but he is amazingly calm, " says Fred Hu, head of Asia Economic Research for Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong.

CNN: Red star