Since Xi Jinping became Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party, there have been frequent changes in top military officials, and the military leadership has also undergone multiple rounds of purges. On the eve of the CCP’s “August 1st” Army Day, the authorities have reshuffled the top leadership in several military regions. Huang Ming, the commander of the Central Theater Command, has been transferred to become the commander of the Northern Theater Command, with Army General Wu Yanan taking over as the commander of the Southern Theater Command.
On August 2nd, according to the Liaoning Daily WeChat public account, a military and political symposium celebrating the “August 1st” was held in Shenyang, Liaoning Province on July 31st. Liaoning Provincial Party Secretary Hao Peng attended and delivered a speech, with Huang Ming, the commander of the Northern Theater Command, also present.
The above information confirms that Huang Ming has been appointed as the commander of the Northern Theater Command, marking his first public appearance in this new capacity.
Public reports show that Huang Ming, born in 1963 in Yixing, Jiangsu Province, is a member of the 20th Central Committee. He has served in various positions within different group armies from north to south, including as division commander, chief of staff, and military commander.
In July 2014, Huang Ming was promoted to major general. In 2019, reports indicated that he was appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Army, and by the end of that year, he was promoted to lieutenant general. In January 2023, Huang Ming made his first public appearance as the commander of the Central Theater Command, being promoted to full general.
It is reported that Wang Qiang was the previous commander of the Northern Theater Command.
Meanwhile, there have been changes in the leadership of the Southern Theater Command as well. Wu Yanan has assumed the role of commander of the Southern Theater Command. On July 31st, he made his first appearance as the commander at the 2024 Guangdong Province “Supporting the Military and Comforting Symposium.”
The original seven military regions of the CCP’s military were restructured into five theater commands in 2015: Eastern, Southern, Western, Northern, and Central Theater Commands.
Currently, the commanders of the Northern and Southern Theater Commands have been confirmed to have changed, with reports suggesting that Wang Qiang, the former commander of the Northern Theater Command, may be transferred to the Central Theater Command. However, there have been no reports of changes in the leadership of the Eastern and Western Theater Commands.
Public information indicates that Lieutenant General Lin Xiangyang is the commander of the Eastern Theater Command, and Lieutenant General Wang Haijiang leads the Western Theater Command.
Since Xi Jinping assumed the position of Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party in November 2012, there have been frequent changes in top military officials and multiple rounds of purges in the military leadership. Many senior generals have been dismissed, and even two defense ministers, Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, were expelled from the party and the military on the same day, June 27th of this year.
Wang Youqun, a former official of the CCP Central Discipline Inspection Commission and a political commentator currently residing in the United States, believes that what Xi Jinping fears the most is “military rebellion.”
In a previous article for the Epoch Times, Wang Youqun stated that prior to the 20th National Congress of the CCP in 2022, Xi Jinping dealt with more than 170 senior generals, “These senior generals and their remaining influence in the military are certainly dissatisfied with Xi. While publicly claiming loyalty to Xi and obedience to his leadership, in reality, each of them is duplicitous, and when the time is right, they could betray Xi at any moment.”