CCP’s Anti-Corruption Purge May Hamper Military Modernization Efforts, US Says

Pentagon says current wave of purges touches ‘every service’ in the CCP military and ’may have shaken Beijing’s confidence in high-ranking PLA officials.’

The Chinese regime's DF-41 nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles during a military parade at Tiananmen Square to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2019. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images

In its sweeping anti-corruption campaign, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) may have undermined its efforts to modernize the military by 2027, the U.S. Department of Defense said in its latest annual report, released on Dec. 18.

The Pentagon said in the report on CCP military and security developments presented to Congress that the current wave of purges touches “every service” in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and “may have shaken Beijing’s confidence in high-ranking PLA officials,” jeopardizing a top priority for leader Xi Jinping since he took command of the military in 2012.