At a time when China is locked in confrontation with the US over tariffs, the absence of another PLA general from a recent Politburo study session was noticed late last month. Gen He Weidong is a second-ranked vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and one of the 24 members of the Communist Party’s Politburo.
But it turns out he’s been missing since early April. He was not present during a tree-planting event although he turned up on March 11 for the closing session of the National People’s Congress.
Important to note that Gen He was appointed vice-chairman of the CMC disregarding the 200 Central Committee members. As a member of the “Fujian” faction he was deemed high in Xi’s favour, yet something went wrong. His purge, if that is what it was, is the first of a uniformed vice-chair of the CMC since 1967. So something serious had happened.
Could this be construed as Xi cracking down on corruption among his followers? According to a study by the Brookings Institution dated Feb 18, 2025 titled Thoughts on the political demise of Miao Hua, there are “three verities of Xi’s anti-corruption campaign in the military: corruption is an endemic problem in the PLA; Xi is serious about rooting out corruption; the persistence of corruption undermines Xi’s confidence in the PLA.”
The last point is serious as Xi has rooted out people whom he has personally elevated. Case in point that of Admiral Miao Hua, head of the political work department, who was suspended last November. The Brookings study argues that “these purges are both about politics and proficiency.”
The suspension of Miao Hua and the dismissal of two previous defence ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, the study says, “reflect the gravity of Xi’s concern that actions by Taiwan, the US or other factors could force him to turn to the PLA — and that he needs real options.”
When Xi says repeatedly that he wants the PLA to be prepared to fight and win battles, it is an acknowledgement that the PLA is not ready. The study also makes the point that Xi will continue with the purges (78 so far) because they have had “little discernible negative impact on the PLA’s capabiliies or operations.”
