Purge of top Chinese general throws military into turmoil and raises questions about Taiwan
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8d0l0g8yz5o
Big news in north Asia.
The senior ranks of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) are in tatters.
The weekend purging of China's top general, Zhang Youxia, and another senior military officer, Gen Liu Zhenli, has left serious questions about what triggered the elite power struggles unfolding in the country - and what this means for China's warfighting capacity, whether it be any ambition to take Taiwan by force or engage in another major regional conflict.
Zhang, 75, was vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) - the Communist Party group headed by the country's leader Xi Jinping, which controls the armed forces.
(Zhang was basically the #2 man in mainland China)
Among other things, concern in Taiwan is that now, even more than before, there will be nobody to provide President Xi with an honest judgement or assessment.
President Xi, "Is the army capable of invading Taiwan this year?"
New general "of course we are!!!!"
Zhang is actually older than Xi (by just a couple of years) and is a second level revolutionary (his father was in the original revolutionary war), so holds/held some "authority" with President Xi. Probably he was corrupt as charged (most of the leaders there are), but it obviously was something more that got him on the bad side of Xi. Xi will overlook corruption if it suits him.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8d0l0g8yz5o
Big news in north Asia.
The senior ranks of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) are in tatters.
The weekend purging of China's top general, Zhang Youxia, and another senior military officer, Gen Liu Zhenli, has left serious questions about what triggered the elite power struggles unfolding in the country - and what this means for China's warfighting capacity, whether it be any ambition to take Taiwan by force or engage in another major regional conflict.
Zhang, 75, was vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) - the Communist Party group headed by the country's leader Xi Jinping, which controls the armed forces.
(Zhang was basically the #2 man in mainland China)
Among other things, concern in Taiwan is that now, even more than before, there will be nobody to provide President Xi with an honest judgement or assessment.
President Xi, "Is the army capable of invading Taiwan this year?"
New general "of course we are!!!!"
Zhang is actually older than Xi (by just a couple of years) and is a second level revolutionary (his father was in the original revolutionary war), so holds/held some "authority" with President Xi. Probably he was corrupt as charged (most of the leaders there are), but it obviously was something more that got him on the bad side of Xi. Xi will overlook corruption if it suits him.
Among other things, concern in Taiwan is that now, even more than before, there will be nobody to provide President Xi with an honest judgement or assessment.
President Xi, "Is the army capable of invading Taiwan this year?"
New general "of course we are!!!!"
Seems that there’s a fair number of cases of that going around the past few years. Not limited to authoritarian states either.
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Supposedly, Gen. Zhang was leaking Chinese nuclear secrets to the US.
(At least that is the rumor going around right now.)
Kind of find it hard to believe, and the true story will probably never been known.
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I agree. His father was a fighter along side of Chairman Mao. Stranger things have happened, but I dont see it in this case.
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Interesting in depth article on the purging of top military people in the Chinese military.
https://chinapower.csis.org/china-pla-military-purges/
The article examines the unprecedented scale of purges within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, showing that these go far deeper than previously publicized. Using a newly constructed CSIS Database of Chinese Military Purges, the analysis finds that over 100 senior PLA officers — including generals and lieutenant generals — have been purged or are potentially under investigation since 2022. This includes the removal of multiple key leaders from the Central Military Commission (CMC), such as defence ministers, vice chairmen, and top operational commanders, leaving the CMC’s high command dramatically thinned. While corruption is often cited as the official reason for these actions, political loyalty and internal factional dynamics also appear to play a major role.
The purges have affected virtually all major branches and leadership structures of the PLA — including services like the Army, Navy, Rocket Force, theater commands, and CMC departments — and have left many key positions vacant or filled by temporary appointees. Despite this upheaval, the PLA has largely maintained routine operations, and China’s military activities have continued in areas like the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea. Yet the removal of so many experienced leaders raises questions about long-term readiness and the future shape of China’s military leadership. The article concludes that Xi faces a prolonged process of reorganizing the PLA and filling leadership gaps, with political loyalty likely to remain a central criterion for promotions.
