What Happened
- China's President Xi Jinping, speaking during the ongoing National People's Congress session, called for "fully leveraging the unique strengths of enhancing political loyalty" in the People's Liberation Army (PLA), stressing that no member of the military should harbour disloyalty to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
- The National People's Congress dismissed nine military officers in a single week, including two from the Central Military Commission (CMC) — the military's highest decision-making body — along with officers drawn from the army, navy, air force, and rocket force.
- Three generals were simultaneously removed from China's top political advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
- The anti-corruption drive has now seen more than 100 senior officers purged or under investigation since 2022, spanning theater commands, service branches, and CMC-level positions, making it the largest military purge in the PRC's modern history.
- Analysts note that beyond anti-corruption, the campaign functions as a tool for Xi to remove potential rivals and consolidate absolute control over the armed forces ahead of China's 2027 military modernisation targets.
Static Topic Bridges
People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Central Military Commission
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the armed force of the People's Republic of China and is constitutionally subordinate to the Chinese Communist Party rather than the state. The apex decision-making body overseeing all military affairs is the Central Military Commission (CMC), which directs the PLA Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, Rocket Force, and the five theater commands. The principle of "the Party commands the gun" — codified since the Gutian Conference of 1929 — has been the foundational doctrine of CCP-military relations.
- CMC was established in its current form under the 1982 PRC Constitution.
- Xi Jinping has served as CMC Chairman since November 2012.
- The CMC operates on a "chairman responsibility system" where Xi holds the final vote on all significant military decisions.
- The 2016 reforms reorganised the PLA's structure, replacing four general departments with 15 departments reporting directly to the CMC, enhancing centralised control.
Connection to this news: Xi's call for political loyalty directly reinforces the ideological and structural centralisation of PLA command under his personal authority, reflecting continuing anxieties about loyalty within the officer corps following large-scale purges.
Xi Jinping's Military Consolidation — Civil-Military Relations in China
Since 2012, Xi Jinping has pursued an unprecedented restructuring of civil-military relations in China, shifting the PLA away from a collegial institutional structure toward a highly personalised command style. This has included multiple waves of anti-corruption investigations targeting senior generals, the abolition of the former four general departments, the creation of a new Joint Operations Command Centre, and the elevation of the Rocket Force. The current purge — targeting figures associated with former CMC Vice Chairs and defense ministers — has left critical operational posts vacant or newly filled.
- Former Defense Ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were both investigated and dismissed (2023-2024).
- The CMC has effectively been reduced to Xi and anti-corruption czar Zhang Shengmin as functional members.
- Theater commands, service headquarters, and national-level departments have multiple vacant or recently filled positions, potentially affecting operational readiness.
- China's stated 2027 military modernisation target (centenary of the PLA) is a key deadline driving reforms.
Connection to this news: The broadening purge and Xi's public demand for loyalty signals that despite years of consolidation, Xi still perceives loyalty gaps — possibly linked to the Rocket Force scandals — making this a continuing structural feature of Chinese politics rather than a one-off event.
Anti-Corruption Campaigns as a Political Instrument
In authoritarian systems with single-party dominance, formal anti-corruption mechanisms frequently serve dual functions: genuine institutional cleansing and elimination of political rivals. In China's case, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) — which also operates within the military as the CMC Discipline Inspection Commission — functions as both an enforcement body and a loyalty-assurance mechanism for the paramount leader.
- The CCDI was significantly empowered after the 18th Party Congress (2012) under Xi's leadership.
- The National Supervisory Commission (2018), established by constitutional amendment, extended the anti-corruption apparatus to state organs, merging it with the CCDI.
- "Tigers and flies" — the stated target of the campaign — includes high-ranking officials (tigers) and local-level functionaries (flies).
- The Rocket Force was subject to a particular sweep in 2023 after systemic corruption in missile fuel and maintenance contracts was exposed.
Connection to this news: The formal framing of dismissals under anti-corruption norms provides political legitimacy while achieving the strategic objective of ensuring an officer corps loyal exclusively to Xi.
Key Facts & Data
- Over 100 PLA senior officers have been purged or investigated since 2022.
- Nine military officers dismissed during the current NPC session, including two from the CMC.
- Three generals removed from the CPPCC in the same period.
- Xi Jinping has been CMC Chairman since November 2012 — over 13 years.
- China's PLA modernisation target: 2027 (centenary of the PLA's founding).
- The Rocket Force, created in 2015 from the former Second Artillery Corps, has been a focal point of corruption probes.
- The CMC has 15 departments reporting directly to it following the 2016 reorganisation.