Xi Jinping’s Military Purge Raises questions About PLA Readiness
Amidst the lavish commissioning of China’s newest aircraft carrier this month, a conspicuous absence of key naval leaders has fueled growing concerns about the impact of President Xi Jinping’s sweeping purge of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officers. State television footage revealed no sign of navy commander Admiral Hu Zhongming, Admiral Wu Yanan – commander of the southern theater encompassing the island of Hainan where the commissioning took place – or the regional command’s political commissar, Admiral Wang Wenquan.
These absences are not isolated incidents, but rather the latest wave in a broader removal of PLA officers orchestrated by Xi, now extending to figures holding vital command roles. The scale of the purge is raising speculation about its effect on military training and, critically, China’s readiness to project power.”They are trying to keep up appearances, but it is indeed definitely having an effect on the PLA’s frontline operations,” a US official briefed on the matter stated, adding that those who underestimate the impact are likely suffering from an “intelligence gap.”
The disappearances of Hu and Wu followed the announcement in April of the firing of ten other senior PLA officers, including He Weidong, formerly the military’s third in command.A significant number of senior officers have been caught in the widening net; Admirals Hu and Wu were among 27 senior PLA officers missing from a crucial gathering of the Communist party’s central committee last month, representing 64 percent of its members with a military background. Most are believed to be under inquiry, having already lost their positions or party membership.
Currently, the heads of all but one of the PLA’s five regional commands are either unaccounted for, under investigation, or have been dismissed.The navy and ground force have now joined the rocket force in seeing their commanders targeted. Beyond regional commands, heads of specialized departments within the Central Military Commission (CMC) – the top command organ led by Xi – have also vanished from public view, alongside scores of political commissars facing ouster or party investigation.
The ousting of He Weidong, the former military number three, has coincided with observable changes in PLA maneuvers around Taiwan – the region considered most likely to be the site of any potential military action by Beijing. Since May, the Chinese military has demonstrably reduced the number of fighter jets crossing the Taiwan Strait’s median line compared to the same period last year. Furthermore, overall monthly numbers of PLA aircraft operating near Taiwan’s airspace have decreased since July 2024.
However, analysts caution against directly attributing these shifts solely to the purges, acknowledging other contributing factors. Experts with ties to Taiwan’s military believe He’s removal has prompted a strategic recalibration within the PLA. “We’re skimming the surface here,” Char warned, pointing to the potentially hundreds of additional affected individuals within the offices under the CMC.
Xi’s initial focus on corruption within weapons research and procurement – which led to the removal of numerous officials linked to the CMC’s equipment development department, the entire leadership of the missile forces, and two consecutive defense ministers – has evolved into a wider attempt to overhaul the armed forces’ personnel management. Since the ousting of Miao Hua, the CMC member in charge of political work late last year, Xi has launched a sweeping crackdown on political commissars, responsible for ensuring the PLA’s loyalty to the party and managing personnel. New regulations announced by the military newspaper PLA Daily in July demand that political cadres respond to grassroots concerns and be accountable to the rank and file, potentially opening the door to widespread denunciations and further purges, promoting a new generation of younger officers with fewer established patronage networks.
Analysts argue this reform effort aims to address the structural weaknesses inherent in the party’s system of political control over the PLA,which hinders the decentralization of command considered crucial for agility in wartime. Some observers are concerned about the long-term impact of promoting a large number of new commanders on the mindset of the PLA officer corps. “They might be a lot less risk-averse, more nationalistic and more aggressive,” a Taiwanese senior official cautioned.”So to be honest, the outcome of these purges is still wholly unclear.”
