Among the expelled officials were some of the brightest rising stars in President Xi Jinping’s military: two generals who oversaw satellite launches and manned space missions; an admiral who help consolidate Beijing’s presence in the disputed South China Sea; and a missile commander who had honed China’s response capability to a possible nuclear war.
They were among nine high-ranking Chinese military figures who were recently removed from their posts as delegates to the country’s Communist Party-led parliament, abruptly and without official explanation.
Experts say the move indicates that Mr. Xi’s latest offensive to root out allegations of corruption and other misconduct within the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, is gaining momentum and focusing on agencies politically sensitive people responsible for the development of weapons and military installations. In October, China suddenly fired the defense minister, who had worked for years in the military arms acquisition system. A few months earlier, two commanders of Rocket Force, which controls China’s nuclear missiles, were replaced.
Since coming to power in 2012, Mr. Xi has launched a torrid, high-decibel crackdown on Communist Party officials and generals. This latest military campaign, however, was carried out largely in silence, with no official acknowledgment that it was underway.
Experts who track China’s military said Mr. Xi’s strategy appeared to be a surgical strike intended to assert his control over the arms sector. They noted that the layoffs apparently excluded Mr. Xi’s longtime allies, at least for now.
This model suggests “targeted repression” which “shows that even in the most critical technological sectors, the party is prepared to crack down to ensure the healthy long-term development of these sectors,” said Tai Ming Cheungprofessor at the University of California, San Diego, who has long studied Chinese weapons development programs.
Professor Tai highlighted that China’s weapons development programs constitute one of the “most secretive” aspects of its military, into which huge funds have been invested over the past decades. “The country is ripe for large-scale corruption,” he wrote in an email.
China announced layoffs of the legislature, called the National People’s Congress, in a laconic statement late Friday. Two days earlier, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference – a top political advisory body – said it had expelled three executives state-owned companies linked to the military: one from China North Industries Group Corporation, or Norinco, an arms conglomerate; and the others from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
The anti-corruption campaign could tarnish Mr. Xi’s image of political invulnerability, because the officers who have been fired all owe their advancement to him.
On the other hand, Mr. Xi’s bold measures against active military officers are a sign that he maintains unparalleled control despite China’s economic woes, said Christopher K. Johnsona former analyst of Chinese politics at the CIA.
“Xi’s willingness to take on the embarrassment of such a massive purge shows how determined he is to ensure his military can fulfill its mandate to ‘fight and win wars,'” Mr. Johnson said.
Shortly after coming to power, Mr. Xi launched a crackdown on corruption in the military, warning that such abuses would endanger China’s security as the country’s rivalry with the West simmers. was intensifying. Dozens of commanders and generals have been convicted of corruption in the form of sales of military assets, contracts or promotions.
But at the time, he was still consolidating his power as China’s leader, and this repression focused primarily on retired civil servants. “Now his power is sufficiently unquestionable that he can attack the roots of the problem with relative abandon,” Mr. Johnson said.
Military investigators “have long identified arms procurement as one of the main areas of corruption within the PLA,” according to Professor Tai. But during previous anti-corruption campaigns, few officials arrested had worked in this sector. “This time around, the arms acquisition and defense sectors appear to be among the main areas to be targeted,” he said.
Less clear is why Mr. Xi chose to act now. The first visible signs of the crackdown were the dismissal last year of the two rocket force commanders, followed by General Li Shangfu, the defense minister. It’s possible that the problems discovered in the rocket force snowballed into a broader investigation, experts say.
Some of the officers ousted in recent days had crossed paths with General Li when he was at the General Department of Armaments, which oversaw procurement, or at the agency that succeeded him after Mr. Xi decided to reorganize the department. military in 2015. But others have not, suggesting that the investigations extend beyond General Li’s circle, said Yao Cheng, a former Chinese naval officer now living in the United States.
The dismissed officers included Dai Laihanga retired Air Force commander who pushed politicians to get more realistic training. Another was Jin Xinchun, a naval commander who was once deputy head of the South Sea Fleet, which encompasses the South China Sea. He previously served as head of the fleet equipment department. Another was Li Yuchao, a general in the Chinese missile force who had previously supervised exercises for launching a nuclear counterattack after suffering a nuclear attack. He was removed from office in 2023.
In the short term, the high-level reshuffle could slow the deployment of some weapons or facilities as they are studied more closely for potential flaws and contracts are scrutinized for problems, said Or Si-fu, Chinese military expert at Taiwan National Defense and Security Research Institute. But those potential delays will likely be limited, he added.
It is also unclear whether the scrutiny has extended to officials and commanders that Mr. Xi has named to the top leadership team for his third term as Communist Party leader in 2022.
Among them is General Zhang Youxia, who is second to Mr. Xi in the military hierarchy and has long-standing personal ties with him. General Zhang was previously a director of the General Equipment Department of the PLA and its revamped successor. HAS at least three Communist Party officials Within the Politburo – the party council made up of 24 senior executives – rose through the ranks in the arms or aerospace sector.
“Xi Jinping already has in hand all the damaging elements that could be used against all military officers and government party officials, so he can find a reason to act against anyone at any time,” he said. declared Mr. Ou. As for the fate of General Zhang and other senior Politburo officials, Mr. Ou said: “So far, the signs indicate that they can survive. »
