When China’s Ministry of National Defense announced on Oct. 17 that nine generals—nearly half of the top command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)—were under investigation, it was more than a military shake-up. It was a political earthquake that exposed deep fractures inside Xi Jinping’s inner circle.
A Dramatic Purge
The nine include some of the most senior officers in the PLA: Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice Chairman He Weidong, former CMC Political Work Department chief Miao Hua, and several former theater commanders and service chiefs, including Lin Xiangyang of the Eastern Theater Command, Wang Houbin of the Rocket Force, and Wang Chunning of the People’s Armed Police.
Heng He
Author
Heng He is a commentator on Sound of Hope Radio, China analyst on NTD's "Focus Talk," and a writer for The Epoch Times.
