The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) has previously become a major target for rectification, with several high-ranking officials being removed from their positions as National People’s Congress (NPC) delegates. The latest news indicates that Zhu Guobiao, the Secretary of the PLARF Disciplinary Committee, has been transferred to the position of Deputy Political Commissar of the People’s Armed Police Force. Zhu Guobiao’s rare transition without being purged has raised eyebrows within the Chinese military establishment.
On May 6, discussions emerged on mainland Chinese social media platforms about a “General who previously served as Secretary of the PLARF Disciplinary Committee being reassigned.” The official WeChat account of the People’s Armed Police Force of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) reported that during activities of the People’s Armed Police Force in the Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang regions from April 28 to 30, Deputy Political Commissar Zhu Guobiao was mentioned among the attending officials.
According to an article published on May 5 by “Political Circle,” a WeChat public account under the Beijing Youth Daily, Zhu Guobiao, the former Secretary of the PLARF Disciplinary Committee, has been reassigned to the People’s Armed Police Force as the Deputy Political Commissar. The activities of the People’s Armed Police Force at the end of April marked his debut appearance as a Deputy Political Commissar in a public setting.
At 61 years old, Zhu Guobiao previously served as the Political Commissar of a Guard Division in Beijing Garrison, holding long-standing positions in the military disciplinary system. In October 2017, Zhu Guobiao was appointed as a member of the 19th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CCP. In September 2020, he was promoted to the rank of Major General and appointed as the Secretary of the PLARF Disciplinary Committee. He is also a member of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and a delegate of the 20th National Congress of the CCP.
The Secretary of the CCP Discipline Inspection Commission is an important member of the party leadership team and serves as the “chief” of the disciplinary leadership team. In cases of violations of laws and discipline within the party, investigations are typically initiated by the Discipline Inspection Commission. Following military reforms, each branch of the CCP’s military, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Rocket Force, Strategic Support Force, and People’s Armed Police Force, has a deputy military district-level Discipline Inspection Commission, with the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission being a full-time position held by a deputy military district-level Major General.
During the troubles that befell the Rocket Force, Zhu Guobiao was serving as the Secretary of the PLARF Disciplinary Committee. His new appointment suggests that Zhu Guobiao has left the Rocket Force and escaped being purged.
Troubles have plagued the Rocket Force since last year. In late July 2023, the Commander of the Rocket Force Li Yuchao and Political Commissar Xu Zhongbo both resigned. The bulletin of the first Standing Committee meeting in 2024 released by the NPC website of the CCP revealed that on July 7, 2023, Zhang Zhenzhong, a former Deputy Commander of the Rocket Force and later the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission, was relieved of his duties as an NPC delegate. On September 26, 2023, Lu Hong, former Minister of Equipment of the Rocket Force, Li Yuchao, former Commander of the Rocket Force, and Zhou Yaning, former Commander of the Rocket Force, were dismissed as NPC delegates. Li Chuanguang, former Deputy Commander of the Rocket Force, was dismissed as an NPC delegate on December 5, 2023.
Previously reported incidences revealed that nine senior generals within the CCP were removed from their positions as NPC delegates, shedding light on the details of the situation.
An independent scholar with ties within the CCP system, Yuan Hongbing, expressed to Epoch Times on August 1 of last year that the replacements of Li Yuchao and Xu Zhongbo indicated a collapse of the entire leadership of the Rocket Force, which overall faced a “purge.” Chinese-American scholar Li Hengqing also highlighted to Epoch Times that the corruption at the senior levels of the Rocket Force has become significant news, reflecting the internal instability within the Chinese military.
On April 26 of this year, Han Shuwang was removed from his position as an NPC delegate. Han Shuwang, a former Deputy Dean of the Rocket Academy and former Chairman of Aerospace Investment Holdings, was implicated in the Rocket Force corruption case. On February 27, Feng Jiehong, former Chairman of China Aerospace Sanjiang Group and a rocket expert, was also relieved of his duties as an NPC delegate.
Apart from Zhu Guobiao’s new role, Xu Zhongbo, the former Political Commissar of the Rocket Force who was dismissed earlier, made appearances during the annual NPC and CPPCC sessions this year, suggesting a temporary sense of security.
On March 8, Xu Zhongbo attended the second plenary session of the NPC. During this session, when a reporter posed questions regarding his well-being and the future of military construction, Xu Zhongbo chose not to directly respond but merely said, “Thank you, thank you.” On March 4 and 5, Xu Zhongbo was also seen on CCTV. Analysts have speculated that although Xu Zhongbo made appearances at the sessions and participated in the meetings, his evasion of questions indicates he could be undergoing internal investigations, which suggests a state of temporary safety and heightened tension. Some commentators from Hong Kong media have stated that Xu Zhongbo, at present, seems to be shouldering leadership responsibility for the corruption case.