Description: After last week’s announcement by the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) that senior general and vice chairman of the Chinese Central Military Commission (CMC) has been purged, the Chinese Communist Party had issued an official statement claiming that the general was being investigated on corruption charges. Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were arrested and removed from their positions within the Central Committee and the CMC while being accused of breaking the law and failing to uphold the disciplinary standards within the PLA. China experts have speculated various scenarios for the drastic restructuring of the country’s highest political and military echelon due to the lack of information that is publicly available. Graft probes and corruption investigations have been largely used by the ruling Communist Party in the past to consolidate power and garner political influence on the base of fealty. Xi Jinping has instrumentalized his anti – corruption campaign to eliminate political rivals and cleanse his close circles of potential adversaries looking to overthrow him using the cover of reformist methods and policies. Taiwan has stated that the country closely monitors the situation and is actively sharing all intelligence with its allies regarding the situation.
Impact: The purges in the PLA of one of its most senior generals with combat experience primarily cripples the capacities of the Chinese military and makes it susceptible to organizational and institutional decomposition. Xi Jinping has undoubtedly exploited the investigation and the charges to eliminate a potential political threat within its closest circles on the risk of debilitating the defensive and offensive capacities of the national military. The situation could also potentially serve as ideological and operational clearance of moderate individuals who were not heavily incentivized to accomplish China’s ambitions towards Taiwan. Regardless of the reasoning behind the purges, China’s military remains crippled as it would be led by Xi Jinping himself and general Zhang Shengmin, both of whom lack military experience, while the potential for an offensive operation in near future remains highly unlikely due to those limitations. Considering the difficulties of forming a trusted circle of military officials around him, Xi Jinping would have a tall task in reconstructing China’s highest military echelons which ultimately cripples the country’s military capabilities and long – term strategic global and regional aspirations associated with the military.