China fires top military general for alleged disciplinary violations (National)

China made a major announcement over the weekend, saying it was investigating the army’s top general for alleged serious violations of discipline and law.

General Zhang Youxia was the highest-ranking military officer just after President Xi Jinping.

The Defense Ministry said Saturday that authorities were investigating Zhang, the senior of two vice chairmen of the powerful Central Military Commission, China’s top military body, and Gen. Liu Zhenli, a low-ranking member of the commission who was in charge of the military’s Joint Staff Department.

This decision virtually upends the entire commission, chaired by Xi, leaving only one of its six members intact.

“Xi Jinping has carried out one of the greatest purges of Chinese military leadership in the history of the People’s Republic,” said Neil Thomas, a researcher at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s China Analysis Center.

For the military and China in general, the full impact of these changes is still unknown. But some experts say the moves could also have repercussions for Beijing’s next move on Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own territory.

Here are some elements to understand why the withdrawal of General Zhang is important.

The Defense Ministry announced the measures on Saturday but provided no details about the alleged wrongdoing. The next day, the People’s Liberation Army Daily published an editorial that did not explain the specific reasons, saying only that these were “alleged serious violations of discipline and law” and demonstrated China’s commitment to punishing corruption. This is a goal that Xi has pursued since the early days of his presidency.

Rumors have circulated on social media and some media outlets have reported these changes, but nothing official.

“I do not believe that any evidence made public or selectively disclosed by Chinese authorities would necessarily reflect the primary reason for Zhang’s expulsion,” said K. Tristan Tang, a non-resident Vasey member at the Pacific Forum. “The critical point is that Xi Jinping decided to take action against Zhang; once an investigation is launched, problems are almost inevitably discovered.”

Analysts have said the purges are aimed at reforming the military and ensuring loyalty to Xi. The measures are part of a broader anti-corruption campaign that has resulted in the sanctioning of more than 200,000 civil servants since the Chinese leader came to power in 2012.

Before Zhang and Liu’s dismissal, the Communist Party expelled the commission’s other vice chairman, He Weidong, in October. He was replaced by Zhang Shengmin, who is now the sole member of the commission.

Since 2012, at least 17 generals in the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, have been removed from military service, including eight who were former members of the commission, according to a review of military statements and state media reports by The Associated Press.

Some believe these withdrawals could impact China’s decisions regarding Taiwan, but that is far from clear.

China considers Taiwan its own territory and has threatened to take control of the island by force if necessary. China has also increased its military pressure and last month launched large-scale military exercises around Taiwan for two days after the US government announced major arms sales to Taiwan.

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Thomas, of the Asia Society Policy Institute, said the latest purge “makes China’s threat to Taiwan weaker in the short term but stronger in the long term.”

That would make a military escalation against the island riskier immediately due to a “high command in disarray,” but in the long term it would mean the military would have a more loyal, less corrupt leadership with more military capabilities, he said.

Asked whether this could reinforce the idea that the withdrawal of the military’s top brass could show that China is not ready for war, Tang of the Pacific Forum said it “does not fundamentally change that assessment.”

“That said,” he added, “I also do not believe that the PLA’s combat readiness has been seriously disrupted.”

With the recent changes, the military commission will operate with just one active member out of six and Xi at the top as chairman.

The PLA Daily editorial said that after the actions against Zhang and Liu, the party was preparing to “promote the rejuvenation of the People’s Liberation Army and inject powerful momentum into building a strong military force.”

But it is unclear whether the five vacancies will be replaced soon or whether Xi will wait until 2027, when the selection of the new Communist Party Central Committee, the body responsible for also appointing new members of the military commission, will take place.

The Pacific Forum’s Tang sees no pressure on Xi to fill these positions in the short term.

“Unless the goal is to create an internal counterweight to Zhang Shengmin,” the sole current member of the commission, he said.

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