China's President Xi Jinping has recently booted yet another prominent figure out of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
This time, it is none other than the number two behind Xi in the largest military organisation in the world -- General He Weidong, the second of two vice-chairs of the all-powerful Central Military Commission (CMC).
He Weidong is the first uniformed CMC vice-chair to be removed since 1967. His dismissal -- likely for corruption but with no official explanation given yet -- thus represents the most dramatic purge of the PLA since Xi took over the reins of power.
Lyle Morris, Senior Fellow for Foreign Policy and National Security at the US-based Center for China Analysis, said these apparent actions by Xi are a "sign of a major trust and corruption problem within the PLA".
"This is by far the largest shake-up of PLA leadership and state-owned enterprises involved in military procurement in recent memory. It suggests deep anxiety and dysfunction within the ranks of China's military, and a failure of trust between Xi and the military," Morris said.
Since Xi assumed the top post in China, at least 78 senior PLA officers -- those of at least two-star rank -- have been removed.
This figure includes eight former or serving members of the CMC, illustrating how no post is immune from Xi's far-reaching campaign to oust the disloyal and greedy. The most senior figure to fall prior to He was the CMC's Admiral Miao Hua, director of the Political Work Department, who was removed six months ago for "serious violations of discipline", a typical euphemism for corruption.
In fact, Miao and He enjoy close ties, with their careers overlapping multiple times.
For example, they both served in the then 31st Group Army in Xiamen, Fujian. This is the province where Xi cut his teeth first as deputy secretary and then as governor, and where He was in charge of army troops at the time. As Morris explained, this made He and Miao comrades in arms, as well as close confidants within Xi's inner circle.
© 2025 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances
