As Generals Disappear: Xi Holds Tight Grip on Agency Overseeing Chinese Military, Expert Says

Former head of China’s Rocket Force was ‘two-faced’ and didn’t agree with Xi’s position on a possible war with Taiwan, a source said.

A high rank military officer gives a military salute to Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) and Premier Li Keqiang (R) after the opening session of the National People's Congress at The Great Hall of People on March 5, 2017 in Beijing, China. Etienne Oliveau/Getty Images

A number of China’s military chiefs have vanished with no official explanation since late June, leading to the assumption that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has begun a purge of the military. This has occurred even though military capability is more important to Mr. Xi than ever, as he has repeatedly instructed the People’s Liberation Army to “prepare for war.”

To some observers, this is reminiscent of Stalin’s purge of the Red Army between October 1940 and February 1942 amid an ongoing German invasion of the Soviet Union.