During the Beidaihe Conference, the handling of Miao Hua, the director of the Political Work Department of the People’s Liberation Army, has become a focal point of attention. Yesterday (August 11th), Miao Hua’s assistant, Yang Youbin, was relieved of his concurrent position as Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs.
On August 11th, the State Council of the Chinese Communist Party announced the appointment and removal of national civil servants, including the removal of Yang Youbin as Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs.
Public records show that Yang Youbin, born in 1968, was a delegate to the 20th National Congress of the CCP. He had served as the political commissar of a Red Army division of the former 54th Group Army, Deputy Director of the Political Department of the 83rd Group Army in the Central Theater Command, Director of the Political Department of the 82nd Group Army, Political Commissar of the 72nd Group Army in the Eastern Theater Command, and was promoted to the rank of Major General in December 2019.
In 2018, the State Council of the CCP established the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, integrating relevant responsibilities from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission. The first “military deputy minister” was Fang Yongxiang, who was then the assistant director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission. He later was promoted to Deputy Political Commissar of the Southern Theater Command and concurrently Political Commissar of the Army in the theater, then moved to Beijing to serve as the Director of the Office of the Central Military Commission.
Yang Youbin served as the second “military deputy minister.” Official information from July 2022 indicated that Yang Youbin had been appointed as Assistant Director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission and concurrently Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs.
Miao Hua had led the Political Work Department of the Military Commission for seven years, having convenient control over the selection and evaluation of senior military leaders. After being ousted at the end of last year, a new round of anti-corruption efforts has swept through the military, targeting many of Miao Hua’s former subordinates and a group of political work officers.
Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission responsible for political work, He Weidong, has been missing since the two sessions in March. There were rumors that he was taken away for investigation for alleged involvement in corruption. Additionally, the Deputy Director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission, He Hongjun, was also rumored to be implicated.
On July 31st, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense held a dinner party at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to celebrate the 98th anniversary of the founding of the army. According to reports from the pro-Beijing Hong Kong newspaper, “Sing Tao Daily,” compared to last year’s dinner party, this year, there were seven fewer active-duty generals at the main table, including Commander of the Armed Police Forces Wang Chunning, Political Commissar of the Armed Police Forces Zhang Hongbing, and Political Commissar of the Navy Yuan Huazhi. Representatives from the Political Work Department of the Military Commission and the Central Theater Command were also absent.
Exiled liberal legal scholar Yuan Hongbing revealed to Epoch Times that after Miao Hua was arrested, he implicated a large number of CCP military officers, causing great panic within the ranks of the Chinese military.
Recently, the Central Military Commission issued a document requiring the “comprehensive eradication of harmful influences” and the “rebuilding of the image and prestige of political cadres,” among other directives.
Director of the Strategic and Resource Department of the Taiwan Institute for National Defense Security, Su Ziyun, recently told the Epoch Times that this regulation was related to the collapse of the military political work system, as Xi Jinping promoted Miao Hua to oversee political work in the Military Commission, but Miao Hua’s downfall indicated that those promoted by Xi were not reliable.
On August 7th, independent commentator Du Zheng wrote in Taiwan’s “Up Media” that over the years, many power struggle rumors have leaked from the Beidaihe Conference. This year’s conference is expected to discuss the final handling of Miao Hua, the Director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission, and how to deal with Vice Chairman of the Military Commission He Weidong, who has been missing since the National People’s Congress in March. Various factions will also undoubtedly engage in disputes, but all of this will be shrouded in secrecy.