Xi Jinping’s Abrupt PLA Head Change Deepens Military Mystery
Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), promoted Chen Hui. Image credit China Consulate San Franscisco
Chen Hui with No Field Experience to Head China’s PLA
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, December 24: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday presented a certificate of order to promote Chen Hui to lead the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Xi’s PLA face has no field experience. His appointment has come close on heels of reports of China probing Defence Minister Dong Jun.
“Chen is someone to keep your eye on as a potential future CMC member,” commented Lyle Morris, an Asia Centre Fellow, on X. The front page of Tuesday’s People’s Daily widely reported the appointment.
Xi heads the China Military Commission which is significant influence over the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). China observers also state that Xi with his control over the PLA purged most of possible rivals within the CCP in recent years.
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Xi presented a certificate of order to promote Chen to the rank of a general. Bloomberg headlined the event, saying that China abruptly changed army general overseeing political loyalty. “Chen’s appointment is surprising because he had only been at the Aerospace Force for less than a year and has no experience in the ground forces,” Bloomberg said in its report while adding that Chen replaced Qin Shutong.
The Raisina Hills in a report last month had given details of Beijing having detained own defence minister. A report by Financial Times said Dong had been detained on charges of corruption.
Dong is third Chinese Defence Minister to be probed for charges of corruption. Dong’s two predecessors had previously been slapped with corruption charges. Besides, China had sacked own foreign affairs minister Qin Gang. Qin, who had previously been Chinese ambassador in Washington, had disappeared while being the foreign affairs minister of China.
The probe against the Chinese Defence Minister is part of a widening investigations within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). China had sacked Dong’s predecessor Li Shangfu also for corruption charges.
Li was facing probe for financial irregularities in the missile programme of the PLA. Chinese President Xi Jinping had also been reported of carrying out structural changes in the PLA. Ground Force Commander of the PLA Li Qiaoming was not visible in the ceremony broadcast by the Chinese state media. Qin Shutong who has been replaced by Chen was also not seen in the Chinese media broadcast.
A section of media reports in the US had claimed that Xi feared compromise within the ranks of the PLA by the intelligence sleuth of the foreign agencies. Qin was last seen in questionable heath conditions in his last public photograph before his disappearance.
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Former Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe was also put under probe for graft charges by China. He was investigated even after he had retired as the minister.
At least four top ranking officials of China have now faced graft charges amid deepening trust deficit in Xi-led regime in Beijing. Yet, there is no clarity on true nature of probes against the top-ranking Chinese officials. Broadly, it’s being believed that officials have been probed for corruption in missile programme of the PLA.
Xi has a publicly stated plan of China to wrest control of Taiwan by 2027. It is widely believed that the PLA is Xi’s core political capital in China strength in China. After assuming the leadership of China, Xi had turned PLA as the instrument of his assertion of power. With loyal PLA generals, Xi is alleged to have purged his rivals to pave way for an unprecedented third term in office.
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