China removes nine PLA generals from top legislature in sign of wider purge

China removes nine PLA generals from top legislature in sign of wider purge

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Two of the rest served in equipment development departments, including for the Central Military Commission (CMC), while one is a naval commander.

The CMC is the top military command body in China’s political hierarchy, and is chaired by President Xi Jinping.

The ousted military men include Li Yuchao, commander of the Rocket Force from January last year before being replaced in July, and his former deputy, Zhang Zhenzhong. Zhang was the force’s deputy commander from 2016 to 2022 and then deputy chief of staff of the CMC Joint Staff Department.

Li was replaced by Wang Houbin, the navy’s former deputy commander, in July. Despite the surprise shake-up, Beijing has not published any official statements about the reason for the dismissals or the investigation.

Also stripped of their NPC roles on Friday were Li Chuanguang, deputy commander of the Rocket Force since 2016, and Zhou Yaning, Li Yuchao’s predecessor as commander from 2017 to 2022, as well as the force’s current head of equipment development – Lu Hong.

They represented most of the top leadership of the Rocket Force since its establishment in 2015 in a major overhaul of the PLA.

‘Quality of weapons top priority’ in complex world: Chinese general to top brass

The others dismissed included Rao Wenmin, deputy director of equipment development for the CMC, Zhang Yulin, who served in the same role from 2016 to 2018, and Ju Xinchun, commander of the PLA Navy’s South Sea Fleet since February.

Ding Laihang, commander of the PLA Air Force from 2017 to 2021, lost his NPC representative qualification as well as his membership of the NPC Standing Committee and the Overseas Chinese Committee.

There had been no previous official statement on whether any of the nine were under any kind of investigation.

But the disqualifications suggest they might face further disciplinary action, as NPC representatives enjoy immunity from arrest or criminal charges.

In a separate statement on Friday, the NPC Standing Committee appointed former PLA Navy commander Dong Jun as China’s new defence minister, a post that had been vacant for two months.

Li Shangfu’s dismissal as defence chief came with no details, but a few clues

His predecessor Li Shangfu was removed in October without explanation after not being seen in public since late August. Li was also a former head of equipment development for the CMC, serving in the role from 2017 to 2022. The department oversees the purchase of PLA equipment and the development of military technology.

The military has been one of the main targets of Xi’s far-reaching anti-corruption campaign, which is now in its second decade. Two of the most prominent targets were 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 court martial.

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