The People’s Liberation Army in China known as China’s Military Reorganization, underwent an unexpected leadership change this week, marking what some call the greatest purge in years as Chinese leader Xi Jinping oversees a broad push to strengthen allegiance and increase control over the PLA.
Xi named new leaders of the PLA Rocket Force, which oversees the nation’s nuclear weapons and conventional missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach the mainland United States, during a ceremony on Monday in Beijing.
Commander Removal and China’s Military Reorganization
The weapons are a crucial component of a program that is fast increasing and essential to China’s long-term objective of annexing Taiwan and confronting the United States in the region. The commander of the missile force, a veteran of the PLA Rocket Force who had vanished from the public eye for months, was removed by Xi through the reorganization.
It happened less than a week after Qin Gang, a Xi ally who had likewise vanished from the public eye, was fired. Although there was no official explanation in either case, these disappearances frequently signal an inquiry.
According to Lyle Morris, senior scholar at the Center for China Analysis at the Asia Society Policy Institute, when everything is taken into account, it’s likely one of the biggest purges in the history of the rocket force.
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Political Commissar Appointment in Chinese Air Force
The transition occurs suddenly and very seldom. And that indicates that something is wrong. The occurrences may portend possible weaknesses in Xi’s hold on power during his third term and increased unpredictability in the Chinese system’s upper echelons.
Li Yuchao, who had served as commander of the PLA Rocket Force since January of last year, was succeeded by Wang Houbin, the former deputy commander of the navy.
Xu Xisheng, a member of the Chinese air force, was appointed political commissar, a similarly prominent position responsible for upholding party rules.
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