Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said.
The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings.
The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying.
Photo: EPA
“Chinese forces know full well that a real war would lead to heavy casualties and attrition that could wipe out an entire branch of arms,” one source was quoted as saying.
The PLA regards staging military exercises to coerce Taiwan as completely distinct from initiating a conflict, and considers Xi’s policies to be guided by personal political considerations rather than professional military assessment, the sources said.
A military officer surnamed Wang (王), who serves in the PLA’s Southern Theater Command, was quoted as saying that millions of predominantly civilian casualties resulting from the Russia-Ukraine conflict had made China’s military leaders reluctant to start a war.
Commanders responsible for leading troops in battle are not willing to accept the responsibility of war, he said.
Many sources in healthcare interviewed for the report said that China’s blood banks and medical stockpiles do not have enough reserves to sustain a large-scale conventional conflict.
Chinese military analyst Wu Man (吳滿) told the Epoch Times that confrontational actions undertaken by the US in the past few years have exerted significant pressure on the government in Beijing.
Combining the external threat posed by the US with constant purges from Xi to secure personal control over the PLA has sown fear and resentment in the military that could jeopardize its ability to fight, he said.
Xi’s attempts to replace professionalism with loyalty has antagonized the PLA and it is not clear if the generals would lead troops if a conflict with Taiwan breaks out, he said.
“Should the Chinese military refuse to fight, would the public security apparatus be charged to command the invasion?” Wu asked.
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