Red-star General Xi and the never-ending PLA purge
A member of the powerful Central Military Commission of the Communist Party is the latest senior officer to be suspended
China’s never-ending purge of the People’s Liberation Army continues. Last week, Admiral Miao Hua was suspended from duty and put under investigation. He is a member of the powerful Central Military Commission of the Communist Party.
In a media briefing, Defense Ministry spokesperson Senior Colonel Wu Qian revealed that Miao was “suspected of serious violations of discipline,” which alludes to corruption.
“[President Xi Jinping] has made a target of the military since the beginning of his rule, when he prosecuted even retired generals. The military is one of few possible alternate power bases to the CCP,” James Palmer at Foreign Policy wrote on FP’s China Brief.
“But the military is also genuinely corrupt – a problem that repeated purges haven’t solved. That corruption ranges from petty [theft], such as the trade in military license plates, to extreme [theft], such as massive embezzlement within the Rocket Force,” he said.
These purges can go on as long as … [Xi] approves them.
Foreign Policy China Brief
Another one bites the dust:
- This is the third major shakeup in the past six months.
- In June, Defense Minister Li Shangfu and his predecessor Wei Fenghe were expelled from the ruling Communist Party.
- Both were accused of corruption.
Delve deeper: “Most countries would [see their] international reputation [tarnished with] such high-profile personnel purges,” James Char, of the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said.
Between the lines: “But [China] is no ordinary country. These purges can go on as long as commander-in-chief [Xi] approves them,” he told the Associated Press in an email.
Big picture: National stability is at the heart of the military purge. “The political leadership isn’t just worried about the effects of corruption on battlefield readiness, but also sees economic and security issues as interconnected,” Foreign Policy’s Palmer said.
China Factor comment: What started as random potshots at the People’s Liberation Army has rapidly become a full-blown war on graft by red-star General Xi.