Cool now show me an article where removing someone from their position for corruption in a western country is called a purge.
Remember, when China doesn’t purge an official after accusations of wrongdoing, that’s a sign that CPC elites are corrupt and above the law, and if China does purge an official after wrongdoing has become apparent, that’s a sign that Xi is eliminating dissidents and tightening his grip on power.
A nonfalsifiable orthodoxy.
Hmmmm. Dr. Parenti is yellow in this clip.
Curious coincidence, persons of the Orient!
Name one country where the top leader isn’t the supreme commander of the armed forces
The Swiss get weird about it. Since the Swiss head of state isn’t one person but a council of 7. If war is declared they have to agree on a separate guy to be the supreme military authority.
it’s almost like power flows from something that armed forces have
south korea? :D
Ukraine
remember that really funny article that some rag did where the headline was something like “Xi Jinping is a Marxist-Leninist!!!1”
Asia Society’s Thomas noted that there are over 18 months until the next Communist Party Congress in late 2027, which will select a new Central Commission, which will in turn appoint a new CMC.
Xi “wants to rejuvenate the PLA as a less corrupt force that is totally loyal to his agenda,” Thomas said. “Xi may wait until then to elevate a new generation of military leaders. He could use this time to conduct intensive vetting of candidates to try and weed out the influence of existing patronage relations.”
Another point to watch is whether Xi downgrades the PLA’s role in politics, such as “by reforming the CMC or removing PLA generals from the Politburo,” Thomas added.
Despite the power vacuum in the military, day-to-day operations are likely go on as usual, while Xi will likely install loyalists from the younger generation, argued Char.
“The PLA’s deep bench means there will always be younger and more professional officers to take over from their cashiered predecessors,” he said.
“Zhang Youxia’s downfall now also officially brings us into the ‘late Xi’ period, since Zhang is the last senior PLA officer to have been at Xi Jinping’s side in the CMC since the 18th Party Congress,” Char said. “Everyone else still serving in the PLA can be said to owe their promotion to Xi himself.”
This seems like the only honest part of the article that isn’t filled with orientalism or bad takes about Taiwan. Of course it’s also at the bottom of the article. Emphasis mine.
Is there reason to believe that the people removed where not “loyal”, I am rather ignorant on this. Also was this a unilateral by Xi or was it decided by CPC or some CPC committee(etc)?
We don’t know. I seriously doubt we’ll be getting anything conclusive either for such a high level military issue. They know the foreign powers are watching this.
Best I can give you is this official editorial from the PLA: http://www.81.cn/yw_208727/16439153.html
spoiler
Editorial of the People’s Liberation Army Daily on January 25th: resolutely win the overall war of the army’s anti-corruption struggle
The Party Central Committee decided to open a case review and investigation on Zhang Zhenxia and Liu Zhenli’s suspected serious violations of discipline and law, once again showing that the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission punish corruption without restricted areas, full coverage, zero tolerance, and a clear attitude of how much to investigate and involve how much to dig deep; fully demonstrate the firm position of our party to carry out the fight against corruption in the end; solemnly declare that no matter who it is, no matter how high the position, as long as corruption is, it will never be tolerated. Resolutely investigating and dealing with Zhang Zhenxia and Liu Zhenli is a major achievement in the fight against corruption achieved by the Party and the army, an important manifestation of the determination and strength of the Party and the army, and is of great significance for winning the overall war against the army in the fight against corruption. All officers and soldiers should firmly support the decision of the Party Central Committee, consciously maintain a high degree of consistency in ideological and political actions with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, and resolutely obey the command of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission and President Xi Jinping to ensure the high concentration, unity and purity of the troops.
Zhang Zhexia and Liu Zhenli, as senior cadres of the party and the army, have seriously failed to live up to the trust and trust of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, seriously trampled and destroyed the responsibility system of the Chairman of the Military Commission, seriously contributed to the political and corruption issues that affected the Party’s absolute leadership of the army and endangering the party’s ruling foundation, seriously affected the prestige of the military team, seriously impacted the political ideological foundation of the army, the political ecology and the construction of the army, and the military. In accordance with the law, Zhang Zhenxia and Liu Zhenli will surely be further cleared from the original political source, ideologically anti-drugs and evils, rotten the muscles from the organization, consolidate and deepen the achievements of political rectification training, promote the rebirth of the people’s army, and inject strong impetus into the development of the strong military industry.
Corruption is a roadblock and a stumbling block in the development process of the party and the state, and anti-corruption is a major struggle that cannot afford to lose and must not lose. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission and President Xi Jinping, the whole army has insisted on comprehensively and strictly ruling the Party, comprehensively and strictly ruling the army, deeply promoting political rectification and anti-corruption, insisting on digging deep and thoroughly investigating and eliminating evil, resolutely investigating and punishing high-level corrupt elements of the army, and focusing on eliminating political hidden dangers. Practice has fully proved that the stronger, purer and more combative the people’s army’s anti-corruption, the more confident and determined the more confident and determined the 100-year-old struggle goal of the army.
Frozen three feet is not a day’s cold, except for three feet of ice is not a day’s work. The current problem of corruption is not to focus on the investigation of corruption, but to dig deeper and deeper. The history is huge, and the process of powerful countries and strong forces is unstoppable. No wind and waves test can shake the people’s army’s iron heart to the party’s firm belief, and any difficulties and obstacles will not stop the people’s army from firm marching to the strong map. We firmly believe that under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, the people’s army will surely sweep away all negative corruption and always become a heroic force that the party and the people can completely rely on.
This year is the beginning of the “15th Five-Year Plan”, is to achieve the goal of the 100-year struggle of the army, the army’s political training, the anti-corruption task is still arduous and heavy. The whole army should promote the comprehensive and strict management of the party with higher standards and more practical measures, constantly promote the political army, continue to deepen political training, through the rectification of ideas, rectify the employment, rectify the organization, rectify the style of work, and rectify the discipline, vigorously restore and carry forward the glorious tradition and fine style of our party and our army, and constantly purify the ideas, pure team, and pure ecology. We must unswervingly uphold the wind and discipline anti-corruption, consolidate and expand the in-depth implementation of the eight provisions of the central government’s spiritual learning and education achievements, promote the normal and long-term effectiveness of style construction, promote the promotion of not corrupt, can not corrupt, do not want to corrupt, effectively manage all kinds of corruption, further put power into the cage of the system, and strive to eliminate the soil and conditions where corruption breeds. Party members and cadres, especially senior cadres, should take the corruption investigated as the opposite teaching material, adhere to the party’s original intention, the party’s mission as the life, take the lead in strengthening ideological transformation, political forging, style shaping, consciously guarding the ideological defense line, the use of the bottom line, the red line of law and discipline, the line of family style, and the political nature of integrity. It is necessary to establish and practice a correct concept of political performance, take practical actions with confidence, pragmatism, responsibility and self-discipline to grasp the work and lead the team, and resolutely implement the major decision-making deployment of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission and President Xi.
The new journey of the powerful and powerful forces has urged people to forge ahead. Let us more closely unite around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, adhere to Xi Jinping’s socialist ideology with Chinese characteristics in the new era as a guide, deeply implement Xi Jinping’s strong military ideology, deeply implement the military strategic approach in the new era, deeply understand the decisive significance of the “two established”, enhance the “four consciousnesses”, strengthen the “four self-confidences”, achieve “two maintenances”, implement the responsibility system of the chairman of the military committee, keep in mind the exhortation, take the role, strive to strengthen the country.
Interesting, I guess I am also interested in if there were previous higher rank officials where the accusations of corruption where dubious (at least while Xi Jinping had been the leader). This is an annoying position because if the whole “gave nuclear secrets” I am not sure it is in the best interest of China to confirm that. I guess there will be some vague hints as to the direction of things depending on who is appointed.
Asia Society’s Thomas noted that there are over 18 months until the next Communist Party Congress in late 2027, which will select a new Central Commission, which will in turn appoint a new CMC.
So Xi Jinping is basically the entire CMC until late 2027? He’s purged everyone except one guy. Xi has essentially absolute control of the CMC until then.
That’s awfully convenient timing with regards to the Davidson window (China’s best chance of taking Taiwan is around 2027, that’s the central arguement there)…
Well if Xi is planning to take Taiwan soon, I hope to hell he’s found his Marshal Zhukov by next year.
It’s also interesting that the one military officer he keeps on the CMC just so happens to be in charge of the military’s anti-corruption body. Perhaps to signal to the rest of the military leadership to obey party discipline and you’ll keep your position?
why are we starting a war over Ariana Grande
The next Two Sessions meeting is in March, something will be announced then. There’s no way they leave the position empty for 18 months.
