Under the backdrop of a major purge within the Chinese Communist Party’s military forces, retired professor Gong Fangbin of the National Defense University has reportedly faced repercussions for expressing views that “Russia is bound to fail” and “Ukraine is bound to win.” It is said that he had angered high-ranking CCP officials, leading to the closure of his Weibo account. Gong Fangbin is known to be a close confidant of former Political Commissar Liu Yazhou at the National Defense University.
A screenshot of a Weibo post by mainland China commentator Sima Pingbang on September 11 reveals that on the afternoon of September 10, a meeting convened by the Party General Branch of the Military Retirees’ Institute specifically announced the disciplinary actions taken against Gong Fangbin.
According to the information disclosed, Gong Fangbin was a professor at the Military Management Institute of [presumably the National Defense University] and retired in 2018, currently residing in the Tiancun Military Retirees’ Institute. The notification stated that during his tenure, he had received reprimands from top officials for making improper remarks on two occasions.
The message mentioned that recently, Gong Fangbin had willfully posted publicly online what was described as “erroneous remarks” stating “Russia is bound to fail” and “Ukraine is bound to win,” which “contradicted the central strategic direction concerning the conflict involving Russia and Ukraine.”
The message concluded by stating that Gong Fangbin received an internal Party warning from the Beijing Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission.
China claims neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, though it has drawn criticism from Western countries for its ambiguous support of Russia as the aggressor.
Discussions about Gong Fangbin’s disciplinary action can be found on Weibo, with some netizens questioning its veracity, saying, “Is this a rumor? How can the military personnel be managed in such a way? Is that even common sense?” “This is fake, how can a retired military officer be under the jurisdiction of the Beijing Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission?”
However, public data from mainland China indicates that the Military Retirees’ Institutes, officially known as the Military Retirees’ Cadre Recuperation Institutes, fall under the management of the Chinese State Council’s Ministry of Veterans Affairs, while those in Beijing are supervised by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Veterans Affairs.
A check on Weibo shows that the account “Gong Fangbin’s Thoughts” had been subject to restrictions, but currently, the account seems to have been deleted as it cannot be found. Approximately two months ago, some netizens had noticed that they were no longer able to follow Gong Fangbin’s Weibo account.
Public information reveals that Gong Fangbin, born in December 1962 in Mengyin County, Shandong Province, holds the rank of Senior Research Fellow with the military title of Colonel. He had served as a professor and doctoral supervisor at the Chinese Communist Party National Defense University.
Radio Free Asia columnist Gao Xin previously pointed out that Gong Fangbin was recruited by Liu Yazhou into the National Defense University. Before the end of 2012, Gong was a Deputy Director of the Military Political Work Research Institute at the Military Science Academy, holding the rank of Senior Research Fellow. It was Liu Yazhou, then Political Commissar at the National Defense University, who personally persuaded then Director of the Military Science Academy Liu Chengjun to release him. Liu Yazhou had the intention to nurture Gong Fangbin as his successor as the Political Commissar of the National Defense University.
Retired Chinese Communist Party General Liu Yazhou comes from a background connected to prominent party and military figures. In early 2017, before reaching the age of 65, Liu Yazhou retired early from his position as Political Commissar at the National Defense University. In 2021, news surfaced of Liu Yazhou’s sudden disappearance, with subsequent revelations of his involvement in a serious corruption case. Epoch Times reported on March 15 of this year that Liu Yazhou had been sentenced to life imprisonment. However, there has been no official notification or explanation from the Chinese Communist Party to date.