TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On Friday (Dec. 29), China announced the appointment of a new Minister of Defense along with the dismissal of nearly a dozen top generals and leaders of military agencies.
As of Friday, the leader of China’s armed forces is Admiral Dong Jun (董軍), who was previously appointed commander of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in 2021. The appointment of a naval officer to the country’s top military position reflects China’s prioritization of its naval capabilities to enforce its claims over Taiwan and the South China Sea, and to reflect its wider ambitions to project power across the Indo-Pacific.
The year-end shuffle of military leadership comes after the previous defense minister, Li Shangfu (李尚福), was removed from office in October after disappearing from the public for months. His ouster, as well as other Chinese military officers in late 2023, are part of a corruption probe ordered by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平).
Additionally, nine senior military officials with connections to Li were removed from China’s National People’s Congress on Friday, reported Bloomberg. Friday’s purge comes only two months after the leadership of China’s Rocket Force, including 11 generals, was also abruptly removed by Xi in August on charges of corruption.
According to some reports, corruption is rampant in the Chinese military and has become an intractable problem for Beijing. Other reports suggest that the purges primarily reflect Xi Jinping’s paranoia and efforts to ensure loyalty among his top military commanders.
Reuters suggested that the sweeping shake-ups in military leadership this year expose an underlying weakness in the command structure and organizational efficiency of China’s military. Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, wrote on Twitter that Friday’s purges were likely precipitated by the discovery of a major corruption scandal, or a significant intelligence leak, but that factional politics may have also played a role in the mass firings.
〔錯誤字元無法儲存〕 on PLA personnel removals announced at 7th session of the 14th NPC (thanks to @NPC_Observer for flagging).
The NPC, in one fell swoop, quietly removed several senior leaders of the PLA Rocket Force (PLARF) and CMC Equipment Development Department (EDD). Here they are, with… pic.twitter.com/wlebZ5blnn
— Lyle Morris (@LyleJMorris) December 29, 2023
The day before the new wave of purges, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Defense criticized Taiwan for “hyping up” the threat China’s military poses toward the island. While there is no immediate expectation for China to target Taiwan with a military operation, the appointment of a naval commander to China’s top military position is likely to stoke anxiety heading into 2024, with less than two weeks remaining before Taiwan’s presidential elections.
