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China Military Purges Raise Questions About War-Fighting Readiness
China has removed two very senior military leaders from the Communist Party and the armed forces.
The removals are part of a broader campaign against corruption and disobedience.
Some experts think the changes give Xi Jinping more control over the military.
Other experts worry that replacing many commanders could make complicated military operations harder.
China is still conducting military exercises and testing weapons.
It is also continuing deployments near Taiwan and contested parts of nearby seas.
One removed commander had real combat experience from a 1979 war with Vietnam.
Many important military jobs are still unfilled.
The changes could also make it harder for China’s military to communicate with foreign militaries.
The Politburo expelled military leaders Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from the Communist Party and military.
Analysts say the purges may disrupt war-fighting readiness while strengthening Xi Jinping’s control over the armed forces.
Several senior military posts remain vacant, including five seats on the Central Military Commission’s seven-member committee.
The leadership changes have not halted China’s weapons tests, exercises or deployments around Taiwan and disputed seas.
Analysts disagree over whether short-term disruption will undermine complex operations, particularly a potential Taiwan contingency.
- Who
- China’s Politburo, President Xi Jinping, and the People’s Liberation Army; the removed leaders are Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli.
- What
- The Communist Party and military expelled Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli amid a continuing purge of senior military officials.
- Where
- China, with implications for Taiwan and disputed areas of the South and East China Seas.
- When
- The latest expulsions were reported this week; investigations into Zhang and Liu were first announced in January.
- Why
- The stated reasons involve corruption, political problems and threats to the Party’s control of the military; analysts also link the campaign to Xi Jinping’s effort to strengthen control and discipline.
Concerns About Military Disruption
Arguments for Stronger Military Control
War-fighting readiness
Concerns About Military Disruption
Analysts say upheaval on this scale could create problems for complex operations, including a full-scale Taiwan contingency.
Arguments for Stronger Military Control
Other analysts say routine operations remain insulated from the turmoil and that the military can still execute orders through its staff, theatre commands, services and Party apparatus.
Effect of removing commanders
Concerns About Military Disruption
Replacing senior officers and leaving key posts vacant could weaken coordination and complicate military engagement with foreign countries.
Arguments for Stronger Military Control
Supporters of the purge argue that removing corrupt elements strengthens political cohesion, discipline and overall combat effectiveness.
Xi Jinping’s control
Concerns About Military Disruption
The purge’s political emphasis may show that the military is being directed primarily to serve the Party rather than the nation.
Arguments for Stronger Military Control
Analysts say the removals have strengthened Xi Jinping’s control over the military and therefore his authority over the wider Party-state.
Key facts
- Removed leaders
- Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were expelled from the Communist Party and the military.
- Military vacancies
- Five positions remain vacant on the Central Military Commission’s seven-person ruling committee.
- Combat experience
- Zhang Youxia was the most senior officer with actual combat experience, from China’s 1979 border war with Vietnam.
- Continuing operations
- China continues weapons tests, increasingly complex exercises and deployments around Taiwan and disputed seas.
- Purges’ focus
- The campaign initially focused on corruption, including procurement involving the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force.
- Foreign military ties
- The leadership changes may continue to hamper engagement between China’s military and foreign armed forces.
Quotes
Tian Shichen
President of the Chinese think tank Global Governance Institution and former defence ministry official
“We can expect Xi to continue exercising decisive control and influence over China’s military affairs – and by extension, his dominance over the party-state, since whoever controls the People’s Liberation Army controls the party.”
theprint.in
“Eradicating corrupt elements strengthens, rather than weakens, the political foundation, cohesion, and overall combat effectiveness of the armed forces.”
theprint.in
Sources
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