The deputy of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission, Miao Hua, fell from grace. Recently, CPC leader Xi Jinping inspected the information support forces of the CPC military in Beijing. High-level military officials were all present, including Deputy Chairs of the Military Commission Zhang Youxia and He Weidong, who had not been publicly seen for a long time. Political analysts believe that Xi Jinping’s move is apparently aimed at quelling various rumors circulating recently. Meanwhile, amid rumors of corruption investigations, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun made a public appearance in Shanghai, attracting external attention.
After a recent round of rectification in the CPC military, Xi Jinping, the CPC leader, inspected the information support forces of the military on December 4. Accompanying Xi Jinping on the inspection were members of the Central Military Commission, including Deputy Chairs of the Military Commission Zhang Youxia, He Weidong, and members of the Military Commission Liu Zhenli, and Zhang Shengmin. The recently ousted Military Commission member Miao Hua was not among them.
The CPC officially announced on November 28 that Miao Hua had been “suspended for investigation” and described the decision as being made “after deliberation by the Central Committee of the Party.” Miao Hua, ranked fifth among the Central Military Commission members, previously served as the Director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission and was considered a close confidant of Xi Jinping by outsiders. He was responsible for personnel affairs throughout the military, wielding significant power.
Both Zhang Youxia and He Weidong had not appeared in public for a long time. The last reported sighting of Zhang Youxia was at the end of October this year when he visited Vietnam, but this news was only disclosed by Xinhua News Agency on the day of his return to Beijing, following which he disappeared from public view. He Weidong’s most recent public appearance dates back to September 13 this year when he met with the Vice Prime Minister and Defense Minister of Myanmar, Tin Aung Chien, the Minister of Defense and Military Veterans of South Africa, and the Chairman of the Pakistani Senate Committee. Since then, his whereabouts have remained a mystery. The simultaneous appearance of the two at this time immediately drew significant external attention.
Video footage released by the CPC official media showed Xi Jinping meeting with representatives of the information support forces with a serious expression, as did the accompanying Zhang Youxia and other high-ranking military officials, creating a tense atmosphere. It is worth noting that in the footage of Xi Jinping’s speech, there were again two teacups placed on his table. In recent years, the presence of two teacups on Xi’s table has repeatedly sparked external attention and speculation. Analysts believe that this arrangement may not be due to privilege considerations but may be related to his health, with one cup believed to contain Xi Jinping’s prescription medication.
The information support forces visited by Xi Jinping this time were newly established on April 19 of this year. On that day, Xi Jinping bestowed the military flag on the unit and delivered a speech. This unit is directly led and commanded by the Central Military Commission of the CPC. At the establishment meeting, the Strategic Support Forces designation was withdrawn, and this unit is a product of the 8-year military reform by the CPC.
On December 6, independent commentator Xiang, currently residing in the United States, stated in an interview with Epoch Times reporters that Xi Jinping’s inspection of the information support forces appears to be aimed at quelling recent rumors, “He is appearing with the purpose of quelling rumors,” Xiang said. He stated that since the Third Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee in July this year, Xi Jinping has remained low-key, but this may be a strategy to confuse external observers, as his actions within the military continue to progress.
Political commentator Wang He also told Epoch Times reporters that Xi Jinping’s collective appearance with high-ranking officials of the Central Military Commission is apparently a deliberate move to dispel rumors. Wang He stated that the CPC military has always strictly controlled information, and significant personnel changes are not usually disclosed in advance. Normally, the successor officially assumes office before the specific details are publicly announced through official channels for external understanding. This secretive operation reflects Xi Jinping’s complex attitude towards the military. On the one hand, he hopes to have complete control over the military, firmly placing it under his control; on the other hand, he remains wary of the military’s power.
Wang He further stated that despite the CPC’s tight control on information, news of Miao Hua’s downfall had been disclosed overseas before the actual event occurred. This situation demonstrates that despite Xi Jinping implementing multiple preventive measures, due to the dissatisfaction within the military, deliberate leaks have left him vulnerable. This also indicates the intense internal struggles within the military, with Xi Jinping’s control over the situation appearing inadequate. Simultaneously, the intense scrutiny by public opinion is making the CPC feel unprecedented pressure, a situation rarely seen in CPC history.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun met with the head of a foreign delegation in Shanghai on December 5, marking his first public appearance since being reportedly investigated for corruption by foreign media a few days earlier.
According to official CPC media reports, Dong Jun met with various country representatives attending the second Gulf of Guinea security situation symposium in Shanghai. However, there were no photos or videos from the meeting with Dong Jun in the official CPC media reports.
After Miao Hua’s downfall, discussions have arisen regarding whether Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun will face a similar fate. Although CPC Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian denied Western media reports of Dong Jun’s “incident” at the end of November, as Miao Hua was seen as the backing behind Dong Jun’s promotion, public opinion generally believes that Dong Jun may only be temporarily “safe.”
Wang He pointed out that since Dong Jun assumed the position of the Defense Minister, he has not concurrently served as a member of the Central Military Commission or the State Council, making his status somewhat awkward. This arrangement indicates that Xi Jinping does not completely trust Dong Jun and has placed him in a “testing” phase. At the same time, this suggests that there may be internal differences within the Military Commission regarding further promotions for Dong Jun.
Wang He further expressed that due to the downfall of the two previous Defense Ministers, Wei Feng and Li Shangfu, if Dong Jun were to face a similar situation, the CPC would face significant embarrassment. Therefore, the CPC is unlikely to take immediate action against Dong Jun and may choose to handle the situation quietly for some time, waiting for the storm surrounding Miao Hua’s downfall to settle before discreetly addressing it to minimize its impact. Wang He believes that it is currently difficult to judge Dong Jun’s career path, but at the present stage, the CPC will not easily act against him, though this does not mean he is truly “safe.”
However, Xiang presented a different viewpoint, suggesting that Dong Jun would be safe. He analyzed that between Miao Hua and Dong Jun, the CPC is more likely to choose to protect Dong Jun over Miao Hua. The reason being that as the Defense Minister, a public-facing role, Dong Jun’s prominence domestically and internationally is evidently higher than Miao Hua’s. Xiang stated that Miao Hua is a major corrupt official within the military due to the significant power he holds, though the importance of his position is not widely known domestically and internationally. This disparity makes the CPC more inclined to protect Dong Jun to avoid garnering more significant international attention.