The military has been one of the main targets of President Xi Jinping’s far-reaching anti-corruption campaign. Photo: Handout
Published December 30, 2023
- Five past or current top commanders of elite PLA Rocket Force among those stripped of NPC role, Standing Committee statement issued on Friday says
- Disqualifications suggest further disciplinary action, as NPC representatives enjoy immunity from arrest or criminal charges
Besides losing their qualification as national representatives, those holding seats in relevant legislative committees had also been removed from their positions, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) announced on Friday. It gave no reason for the disqualifications.
Those dismissed include five past or serving top commanders of the PLA Rocket Force, a key component of the country’s nuclear arsenal, and a former air force commander.
Two of the others served in the Central Military Commission (CMC), while one is a naval commander.
The CMC is the top military command body in China’s political hierarchy, and is chaired by President Xi Jinping.
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SOURCE: www.scmp.com
RELATED: China expels nine army officials from parliament in latest reshuffle under new defence minister
China has expelled nine military officials from its parliament, including four generals of the army’s strategic missile unit, in a sweeping reshuffle following the appointment of a new defence minister.
A file photo showing Chinese President Xi Jinping delivering a speech at the closing ceremony for China’s National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 13, 2023. © Andy Wong, AP
Published December 30, 2023
The decision, announced late on Friday by the state news agency Xinhua, came after a meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party.
No explanation was given for the officials’ removal.
Their removal is one of a series of high-level restructuring moves in the military establishment since defence minister Li Shangfu was abruptly sacked in October following months of speculation about his whereabouts.
Appointed in March, Li disappeared from public view in August before being formally dismissed in October.
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SOURCE: www.france24.com
RELATED: Chinese military purge exposes weakness, could widen
Chinese President Xi Jinping waves from a vehicle as he reviews the troops at a military parade marking the 70th founding anniversary of People’s Republic of China, China October 1, 2019. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
Published December 30, 2023
BEIJING, Dec 30 (Reuters) – A sweeping purge of Chinese generals has weakened the People’s Liberation Army, exposing deep-rooted corruption that could take more time to fix and slow Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s military modernization drive amid geopolitical tensions, analysts say.
China’s top lawmakers ousted nine senior military officers from the national legislative body on Friday, state media reported, a step that typically precedes further punishment for wayward cadres. Many of these were from the Rocket Force – a key arm of the PLA overseeing tactical and nuclear missiles.
The purges are a setback for Xi who has pumped billions into buying and developing equipment as part of his modernising efforts to build a “world-class” military by 2050, with Beijing’s outsized defence budget growing at a faster pace than the economy for some years.
The recent downfall of generals and military equipment suppliers, however, has punctured some of this aura, and raised questions over whether there has been adequate oversight over these massive military investments as China vies with the United States in key areas, including Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Since Xi took power in 2012, he has embarked on a wide-ranging anti-corruption crackdown among Communist Party and government officials, with the PLA being one of its main targets.
The nine PLA generals removed from the legislature hailed from several military divisions; three were former commanders or vice commanders of the PLA Rocket Force; one a former Air Force chief and one a Navy commander responsible for the South China Sea. Four officers were responsible for equipment.
“It is a clear sign that they are being purged,” said Andrew Scobell, Distinguished Fellow for China at the United States Institute for Peace.
‘MORE HEADS WILL ROLL’
Beijing did not explain why the generals were removed. Some analysts say the evidence points towards corruption over equipment procurement by the PLA Rocket Force.
“More heads will roll. The purge that centred around the Rocket Force is not over,” said Alfred Wu, associate professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.
Wei Fenghe, a former defence minister who used to head the Rocket Force, has also vanished. When asked about his whereabouts, a defence ministry spokesman said in August that the military has zero tolerance for corruption.
His successor, Li Shangfu, was abruptly removed as defence minister in October without explanation after also disappearing for months. He had previously headed the equipment department. One of his then deputies was removed from parliament on Friday.
On the same day, Dong Jun, a Chinese ex-Navy chief, with a South China Sea background, was named Li’s replacement as defence minister.
Analysts say that while the Chinese military has long been known for corruption, the extent of the latest crackdown and the involvement of the PLA’s Rocket Force is shocking.
“This part of the PLA would have the most rigorous vetting process for senior officers, given the importance of having highly trusted men in charge of China’s nuclear weapons,” said Dennis Wilder, senior fellow for the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues at Georgetown University.
“Moreover, it seems to have involved several senior men rather than one ‘bad apple’.”
Analysts say the purge of senior military leaders could leave the Rocket Force temporarily weakened until Xi manages to put the house in order.
“The strategic nuclear force is what China relies on as the bottom line of its national security, and the last resort on Taiwan,” said Yun Sun, Director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, a Washington D.C.-based thinktank.
“It will take some time for China to clean up the mess and restore confidence in the Rocket Force’s competence and trustworthiness. It means for the time being, China is at a weaker spot.”
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SOURCE: www.reuters.com
