The Chinese military continues to undergo personnel changes, attracting attention due to its opaque operations. Earlier, it was rumored that Peng Liyuan, the wife of the Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, was serving as a full-time member of the Central Military Commission’s Personnel Evaluation Committee, although the composition of this organization has never been publicly disclosed. Recently, information about the manipulators of this committee has been exposed.
The Central Military Commission’s Personnel Evaluation Committee was established in October 2016. Official reports stated that in 2016, evaluations were conducted on over 100 military units and more than 1,200 senior-level cadres.
From 2021 to 2023, Chinese state media repeatedly mentioned this committee in discussions about military reforms. In 2023, an article mentioned both the establishment of the Central Military Commission’s Talent Work Leading Group and the Personnel Evaluation Committee.
According to official propaganda, the personnel work of the Central Military Commission’s Talent Work Leading Group aims to “break through departmental and regional boundaries, establish a top-level coordination mechanism.”
An article on Xinhua News Agency in 2021 stated that the establishment of the “Central Military Commission’s Personnel Evaluation Committee” was an important measure to implement the system of the military commission chairman being responsible for affairs. However, the composition of the Central Military Commission’s Talent Work Leading Group and the Personnel Evaluation Committee remains unclear to the public.
Recent revelations from the self-media outlet “Vision of Hope” suggest that the members of the Personnel Evaluation Committee are likely not just representatives from the Political Work Department of the Military Commission but aim to have a “broad representativeness,” possibly including representatives from military commission departments and political commissars from various wartime regions. If Peng Liyuan is indeed a member of the Personnel Evaluation Committee, it should be seen as a concrete manifestation of Xi’s full and thorough implementation of the system where the chairman of the Military Commission is responsible.
It is believed that such a mechanism should ensure that the selected senior officials are loyal to Xi. However, the military has been in turmoil for over a year due to ongoing purges. The question of the “leadership responsibility” of these fallen generals remains, with Xi Jinping presumably not taking accountability, leaving the burden on Miao Hua, the director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission responsible for military personnel.
During the ongoing military purges, Xi Jinping ousted five senior generals, including two former Defense Ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, former Air Force Commander Ding Laihang, and former Rocket Force Commanders Li Yuchao and Zhou Yaning. Several other major generals, brigadier generals, and executives of military enterprises have also been removed in the mass purges of the Rocket Force, equipment departments, and military-industrial complex, some of whom are current members or alternate members of the Central Committee, according to Chinese state media. It is reported that the members of the Central Committee are personally endorsed by Xi Jinping.
Former Defense Minister Li Shangfu was publicly accused of “offering money to others to seek improper benefits, involving bribery.” However, the officials who received bribes from Li Shangfu have not been disclosed by the authorities.
On July 9, the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission confirmed that Deputy Director He Hongjun was promoted to the rank of general. He Hongjun has long served in the former General Political Department and the Political Work Department of the Military Commission established after the military reform. While previously a deputy director, this promotion to general comes with the title of Deputy Executive Director, raising him to a level of leadership in the military regions.
“Vision of Hope” pointed out that by appointing He Hongjun to wield substantial power as the Deputy Executive Director under Miao Hua, it is clear that Miao Hua may be in line for retirement. On July 9, when He Hongjun was promoted to general, all official media only mentioned his first appearance as the Deputy Executive Director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission. In a exclusive report, the Chinese military magazine, “PLA Pictorial,” leaked information stating that “Xi Jinping issued an order to promote General He Hongjun, who now holds the rank of general as Deputy Executive Director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission and Deputy Executive Director of the Central Military Commission’s Personnel Evaluation Committee.”
Investigation by Epoch Times reporters confirmed the above situation, revealing that He Hongjun’s position as the Deputy Executive Director of the Personnel Evaluation Committee of the Military Commission, was parallel to his role as the Deputy Executive Director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission.
As for He Hongjun’s immediate superior, the head of the Central Military Commission’s Personnel Evaluation Committee, it is currently uncertain whether it is handled by the Deputy Chairman of the Military Commission in charge of party building and political work, He Weidong, or the director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission, Miao Hua. Both He Weidong and Miao Hua have backgrounds in the former 31st Group Army stationed in Fujian and are considered to be part of Xi Jinping’s trusted team from Fujian.
He Hongjun, a native of Yang County, Shaanxi province, where Xi Jinping’s ancestral home is, shares his home province with the Vice-Chairman of the Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, who is seen as having a strong influence within the military.
Under Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption efforts within the military, many of his trusted officials have faced demotions or uncertain fates recently. Zhong Shaojun, who was promoted to the director of the Military Commission General Office, has reportedly been replaced and reassigned to the Political Commissar of the National Defense University, although this has not yet been confirmed.
According to a renowned political analyst, Qin Peng, in the U.S., Xi Jinping’s removal of some key military personnel to less critical departments indicates a weakening of his power, suggesting a redistribution of power among the top echelons of the military. Previously rumored to have had his powers curtailed, Vice-Chairman of the Military Commission Zhang Youxia now appears to be on the rise.