The Chinese Communist Party held a military parade in Beijing today (September 3rd), with the overall commander of the parade being Han Shengyan, the Commander of the Air Force of the Central Theater Command. It is customary for the overall commander to be held by the Commander of the Central Theater Command, however, there have been speculations about the absence of Wang Qiang, the Commander of the Central Theater Command, who did not attend a previous reception hosted by the Ministry of Defense of the Chinese Communist Party.
According to footage from China Central Television (CCTV), the Party leader Xi Jinping inspected the troops this morning, with the overall commander of the parade being Han Shengyan, the Commander of the Air Force of the Central Theater Command.
Public records indicate that Han Shengyan, born in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province in May 1963, is an Air Force Lieutenant General. He has previously served as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force of the former Chengdu Military Region, Chief of Staff of the Air Force of the former Lanzhou Military Region, and Deputy Commander of the Air Force of the former Chengdu Military Region. In July 2018, he was appointed as the Commander of the Air Force of the Central Theater Command.
The overall commander of a parade is responsible for directing the parade and the troops participating in it, typically appointed from the military head of the unit where the parade is held. Given that Beijing belongs to the Central Theater Command, conventionally, the overall commander of the Tiananmen Square military parade should have been Wang Qiang, the Commander of the Central Theater Command.
Wang Qiang was absent from a reception marking the 98th anniversary of the establishment of the Chinese armed forces held by the Ministry of Defense of the Chinese Communist Party two months ago, leading to speculations of his possible mishaps. His non-participation in today’s Tiananmen Square parade as the overall commander has fueled further speculations about his potential investigation.
Since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, 14 military officials appointed by him in the Chinese Communist Party have been investigated or gone missing. The current Central Military Commission, from Xi Jinping’s third term beginning in late 2022, has seen a reduction from seven to four members, marking the highest vacancy rate of Military Commission members since the era of Mao Zedong.
The current Central Military Commission is composed of Chairman Xi Jinping, Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia, and members Zhang Shengmin and Liu Zhenli. The three other members, Li Shangfu, Miao Hua, and He Weidong, have all encountered trouble.
Independent commentator Du Zheng analyzed in the Taiwanese publication “Up Media” on August 23rd that the grand parade in Beijing in September is merely a political show, as the “fireworks” of the parade cannot conceal the fierce power struggles within the Chinese Communist Party’s military forces.