China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday.
If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added.
The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious violations of discipline and law.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
The Chinese Ministry of Defense made the announcement yesterday, but did not mention details of the alleged wrongdoing.
At least 13 former or serving generals with positions of power, including Zhang and Liu, in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have been investigated.
The purging of Zhang and Li is believed to be part of efforts to reform the military and ensure its loyalty to Xi.
Photo: AFP
It is part of a broader “anti-corruption” drive that has punished more than 200,000 officials since Xi came to power in 2012.
Zhang is the most senior vice chairman in the commission, has long been regarded as one of Xi’s most reliable allies and was a key figure in stabilizing the political situation in China.
His absence from several high-level meetings since Jan. 1 caused suspicions about his fall.
Zhang is a “second-generation red”— a child of the first generation of CCP leaders — and has been a key Xi crony in the military, given his rich field experience, said another source, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Liu has command over the PLA’s operations.
Meanwhile, the security official said Zhang’s and Liu’s removal would disrupt the chain of command, and that the PLA’s joint operational command capabilities would likely fall into confusion and require reorganization.
The possibility that external conflict could be used to unify domestic support to divert attention from internal pressures cannot be completely ruled out, they added.
National Taiwan University political science associate professor Chen Shih-min (陳世民) said the PLA’s command system is in a vacuum and the purges indicate Xi that has a deep mistrust of the military.
Fearing potential defections in the event of war, Xi is unlikely to take major military action against Taiwan in the short term, Chen added.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua
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