The official website of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense updated earlier today (May 31) indicates that the information of Miao Hua in the Central Military Commission column has been deleted. This means that Miao Hua is no longer a member of the Central Military Commission.
On May 29, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China issued a bulletin showing that Miao Hua was suspended last November on suspicion of “serious violations of discipline,” and in March this year, he was also dismissed from his position as a deputy to the fourteenth National People’s Congress due to “serious violations of discipline and law.” However, on that day, Miao Hua’s name still appeared in the column of “Members of the Central Military Commission” on the official website of the Ministry of National Defense. The information on the Central Military Commission page for Miao Hua has been deleted from the Chinese Ministry of National Defense’s website on May 31.
Among the current members of the Central Military Commission, both Li Shangfu and Miao Hua have been confirmed to have fallen from grace. Just after the Two Sessions in March this year, He Weidong, the deputy chairman of the Military Commission and also from the original 31st Group Army like Miao Hua, was rumored to have been arrested and has been missing, with reports even suggesting a suicide.
The Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China and the National Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China are two different entities with the same people, and the appointments and removals of members are confirmed by the Party Congress and the National People’s Congress, respectively.
Public records show that Miao Hua was appointed as a member of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China in October 2017 at the 19th National Congress of the CPC, and reappointed at the 20th National Congress in October 2022. In March 2018, at the Two Sessions, Miao Hua was appointed as a member of the National Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, and was reappointed at the Two Sessions in March 2023.
According to Communist Party customs, the authorities will announce the disciplinary actions against Miao Hua at a Central Conference.
The Communist Party announced last November that Miao Hua was suspected of serious violations of discipline and initiated a “suspension inspection” against him. This month, for the first time, it was revealed that Miao Hua was also suspected of breaking the law.
Xi Jinping, the leader of the Communist Party, has been rumored recently to have lost some of his military power. Miao Hua, who is about to turn 70, is considered a close ally of Xi in the military circles. He had long served in the 31st Group Army of the former Nanjing Military Region and quickly rose to power and took charge of personnel matters in the military after Xi came to power.
The turmoil within the Chinese military has been ongoing for the past two years, with rumors of senior officials falling being widespread. ECC Taiwan reported on May 13 that out of the 79 senior generals promoted since Xi Jinping came to office, at least 10 have been publicly demoted or dismissed, and at least 12 others have been mentioned in rumors of downfall, resulting in a loss of more than 20 percent.