China dismissed nine senior generals from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from their positions in the country’s Parliament. This sweeping action, reported on 30th December 2023, marks a significant purge within the upper echelons of China’s military apparatus.
The dismissed individuals include prominent figures from the PLA Rocket Force, a critical segment of China’s nuclear arsenal. Among those ousted are five past or currently serving top commanders of the PLA Rocket Force: Li Yuchao, former commander of the Rocket Force, replaced in July; Zhang Zhenzhong, former deputy commander of the Rocket Force and deputy chief of staff of the Central Military Commission (CMC); Li Chuanguang, deputy commander of the Rocket Force since 2016; Zhou Yaning, Li Yuchao’s predecessor from 2017 to 2022; and Lu Hong, current head of equipment development for the Rocket Force.
Among those dismissed were Rao Wenmin, deputy director of equipment development for the CMC; Zhang Yulin, former deputy director of equipment development; Ju Xinchun, commander of the PLA Navy’s South Sea Fleet; and Ding Laihang, former commander of the PLA Air Force.
This upheaval in the military leadership is part of a broader pattern of dismissals and disappearances in China’s military ranks this year. Earlier, General Li Shangfu, the former defence minister and head of equipment development from 2017 to 2022, was removed in October without public explanation. Li has not been seen in public since late August.
The extensive purge has sparked varied analyses from international experts. Andrew Scobell, Distinguished Fellow for China at the United States Institute for Peace, noted, “It is a clear sign that they are being purged.” Alfred Wu, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, predicted, “More heads will roll. The purge that centred around the Rocket Force is not over.”
Dennis Wilder, senior fellow for the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues at Georgetown University, expressed shock at the scale of the purge within the PLA’s Rocket Force, known for its rigorous vetting process. “This part of the PLA would have the most rigorous vetting process for senior officers, given the importance of having highly trusted men in charge of China’s nuclear weapons,” Wilder said, adding, “Moreover, it seems to have involved several senior men rather than one ‘bad apple’.”
Yun Sun, Director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, opined on the impact of these events, “It will take some time for China to clean up the mess and restore confidence in the Rocket Force’s competence and trustworthiness. It means, for the time being, China is in a weaker spot. The strategic nuclear force is what China relies on as the bottom line of its national security, and the last resort on Taiwan”
The military has been a focal point of President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign, now in its second decade. The campaign has previously targeted high-profile military figures, including Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, both former vice-chairmen of the CMC. Guo was jailed for life for bribery in 2016, while Xu died of cancer in 2015 while facing a court martial.
Chen Daoyin, a former associate professor at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law and now a political commentator based in Chile, provided a critical perspective on the situation. “Before realising how rampant corruption was, [Xi Jinping] drank his Kool-Aid and thought the military can really ‘fight and win battles’ as expected by him,” Chen remarked. “But how can the generals’ hearts be in fighting, if they are just busy lining their own pockets? Xi now knows that their proclamations of loyalty to the party and to the military ring hollow. I imagine this would zap his confidence somewhat.”
This latest series of dismissals and the broader context of military purges reflect ongoing turbulence within China’s military ranks. The actions have significant implications for the PLA’s operational capabilities and the wider geopolitical landscape, particularly amid increasing tensions in regions like the South China Sea and Taiwan.
