Fuelling speculations of a purge, two leaders of a unit managing China's nuclear arsenal have been replaced in one of the biggest unplanned re-jigging in Beijing's military leadership. Additionally, General Li Yuchao, who previously led the People Liberation Army's (PLA) Rocket unit, and his deputy General Liu Guangbin, have mysteriously disappeared for months, BBC reported.
Wang Houbin, the former deputy navy chief and Xu Xisheng, a member of the Communist Party's central committee, have been named as replacements for the positions.
"The latest purge is significant… [as] China is undertaking one of the most profound changes in nuclear strategy in decades," stated Lyle Morris, a fellow at the Asia Society Institute.
Morris further said that Chinese President Xi Jinping has yet to consolidate complete control of the PLA and is worried about corruption in the military ranks, signalling that they are achieve absolute loyalty to the party.
Meanwhile, Beijing is yet to provide details on the whereabouts of General Li and his deputy. However, media reports suggest that the anti-corruption department of China's Central Military Commission has launched an investigation into the two men.
Li's former deputy Zhang Zhenzhong is also one of the reported targets of the investigation. On the other hand, Wang and Xu have been promoted from the rank of lieutenant general to full general, the highest rank for active officers in China.
According to Morris, Li's downfall is one of the biggest leadership challenges for President Xi, along with the replacement of Qin Gang as foreign minister by Wang Yi.
In 2014, former deputy chairs of the Central Military Commission Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong were ousted and prosecuted for corruption, in one of the biggest purges among China's military. Guo was sentenced to life while Xu died before his trial.
Disappearance of Qin Gang
Notably, this comes after a high-profile replacement of Qin Gang as foreign minister by Wang Yi, after the former's abrupt disappearance from public.
Qin, once considered a close aide of President Xi, was known for skewering one-liners and punchlines wrapped in metaphors to defend the government. However, some Taiwanese, as well as Western media, reported about his alleged "extramarital affairs" with a renowned Hong Kong TV personality Fu Xiaotian.
As a TV anchor at Phoenix TV HK, Xiaotian interviewed top international personalities. Recently, she had interviewed Qin where the duo's "gesture" during the conversation was a little bit different or said to be "suspicious". She also disappeared from public view along with Qin.
As per Asia Sentinel, the 40-year-old Fu is suspected to be a double agent and has links with British intelligence. Although she is married, there are not many details about her husband. In fact, there were reports that claimed Qin was her child’s father.
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