China’s President Xi Jinping has carried out a significant military shake-up by replacing two missing generals in charge of the country’s nuclear missile forces.
General Li Yuchao and his deputy General Liu Guangbin, who were previously leading the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force, had vanished from public sight for several months, raising questions and speculations.
China Missing Generals Replaced Amidst Allegations of Leaking Military Secrets
Citing unnamed intelligence sources, it was reported that they are being investigated for allegedly leaking military secrets.
The leadership change, which also includes an anti-corruption drive and efforts to ensure the PLA’s loyalty to the party and Xi himself, represents the largest purge at the top levels of the military in a decade.
State media Global Times announced that Wang Houbin, the deputy commander of the PLA Navy since 2020, has been appointed as the head of the party’s Rocket Force.
Additionally, Xu Xingsheng, an air force officer and party central committee member, has been named as the Rocket Force’s new political commissar.
Both officers have been promoted to the rank of general as they take on their new postings in the Rocket Force.
The disappearance of General Li Yuchao and General Liu Guangbin during this leadership transition has raised suspicions of a possible investigation for leaking military secrets.
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A Significant Step in Strengthening Military Control and Nuclear Capabilities
The PLA Rocket Force plays a crucial role in China’s military structure as it oversees the country’s land-based nuclear deterrent and conventional ballistic missiles.
China has been rapidly expanding its nuclear capabilities, making the leadership changes in this force of great importance.
The Largest Purge in a Decade: The recent leadership shake-up in the PLA marks the most substantial purge at the highest levels of the military since the expulsion and subsequent prosecution of former deputy chairs of the Central Military Commission, Xu Caihou, and Guo Boxiong, over a decade ago.
The move is seen as a broader effort by Xi Jinping to reassert the PLA’s control over the country’s armed forces, particularly after perceived weakening during his early years in power.
The decision to promote two officers from other parts of the PLA as the new leaders of the Rocket Force indicate Xi’s intent to disrupt established networks of loyalty or corruption that may have formed under the previous leadership.
This move reflects an ongoing effort to strengthen the party’s control over the military and ensure complete loyalty to Xi and the ruling party.
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