Recently, the Chinese authorities quietly removed two senior executives from military-industrial enterprises who had been missing for months, and appointed new replacements. Political analysts believe that the sensitivity of the cases involving top executives in military-industrial enterprises has made the ruling authorities concerned about the potential for causing imitation within the military-industrial complex and the military itself, hence the discreet removal of these high-ranking individuals. At the same time, there have been rumors circulating that some military officials have been taken away for investigation, indicating that the Chinese authorities are continuing their internal cleansing within the military.
According to information from the Chinese state media CCTV, on April 12, the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited held a large meeting for mid- to high-level management personnel. Personnel from the Central Organization Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced at the meeting that Chen Ximing was appointed as the Chairman and Party Secretary of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited.
On the same day, the China Ordnance Equipment Group Corporation also held a meeting where personnel from the Central Organization Department of the CCP announced that Zhang Yujin was appointed as the Director, General Manager, and Deputy Party Secretary of the China Ordnance Equipment Group Corporation Limited.
The predecessors of Chen Ximing and Zhang Yujin—Yuan Jie, former Chairman of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, and Chen Guoying, former General Manager of the China Ordnance Equipment Group Corporation, have disappeared from the public eye for months. There were previous rumors that the two had been taken away for investigation. In the announcement of the personnel changes in these two groups, there was no mention whatsoever of the situation of these two individuals.
Public information shows that Yuan Jie was last seen in public on September 2-3, 2023, when he conducted inspections at several units under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation in Sichuan. Chen Guoying has been missing for an even longer period, with his last public appearance on July 25, 2023, when he led a delegation to Nanyang City in Henan Province and met with the Secretary of the Nanyang Municipal Party Committee Zhu Shixi and the Mayor Wang Zhihui.
Regarding the Chinese authorities quietly removing Yuan Jie and Chen Guoying, overseas political analyst Chen Pokong believes that the cases involving top executives in military-industrial enterprises are extremely sensitive, and the authorities fear that exposing these cases may lead to imitation within the military and the military-industrial complex. Additionally, for the CCP, this is a major scandal, which is why the authorities prefer to keep it discreet.
On April 19, Chen Pokong said in an interview with a reporter from Epoch Times that the cases involving top executives in CCP military-industrial enterprises are not simply corruption-related but also involve espionage issues. For example, sharing sensitive military intelligence about CCP’s aircraft carriers, warships, submarines, and other defense equipment with Western countries like the United States. Since the CCP cannot openly address these issues, they can only handle these individuals under the pretext of anti-corruption.
“By concealing these matters, the CCP is actually following Xi Jinping’s recent philosophy of ‘do but don’t talk about it.'” Chen Pokong believes that not only top executives in military-industrial enterprises but also high-ranking officials in various branches of the military, such as the Rocket Force, Strategic Support Force, General Equipment Department, and senior officials of the Ministry of National Defense are involved in such issues. Therefore, the authorities have chosen to handle these matters discreetly. He said, “It sounds better to say ‘keep family problems private,’ but for the Xi Jinping regime, this is a major scandal. Before the battle starts, everyone is already looking for their way out.”
The so-called “do but don’t talk about it” refers to Xi Jinping’s instructions on how to deal with former Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu within the CCP. In March of this year, overseas media sources reported that several military leaders were captured by the authorities, and they exposed Li Shangfu. When these revelations were put on Xi Jinping’s desk, despite Xi’s personal leaning towards Li Shangfu, when faced with this material, he could only issue instructions. Xi simply said a few words: “In the future, do but don’t talk about it.” Some took this to mean that Li Shangfu was to be dealt with quietly without making it public.
The CCP had previously revoked the political advisory committee membership of several top executives in military-industrial enterprises. In March of this year, at the 5th meeting of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the CCP authorities retroactively recognized the decision to revoke the membership of Wu Yansheng, Liu Shiquan, Wang Changqing, and Wang Xiaojun from the 14th National Committee. Among them, Wu Yansheng previously served as the Chairman of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Limited; Liu Shiquan previously served as the Chairman of the China Ordnance Industry Group Corporation; Wang Changqing previously served as the Deputy General Manager of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited; and Wang Xiaojun also previously served as the Director of the First Research Institute of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Limited. These individuals are generally believed to be implicated in a major case involving the Rocket Force of the CCP, related to the procurement of military equipment, and also connected to the downfall of Li Shangfu.
Former PLA Navy Lieutenant Colonel Staff Officer Yao Cheng revealed on April 16 on the social media platform X that another batch of generals from the CCP’s military have been investigated.
In the post, Yao Cheng wrote, “Recently, Lieutenant General Deng Zhiping, Deputy Commander of the Army, returned from a meeting in Nanjing and was taken away by the Military Commission Discipline Inspection Commission at the station. His two residences in Beijing were searched overnight. On the same day, Vice Political Commissar He Yuehua of the Eastern Theater Command’s Navy and Lieutenant General Deng Hongqin, Commander of the Xichang Satellite Launch Base of the Rocket Force were also arrested.”
On April 19, Yao Cheng told a reporter from Epoch Times that this information was obtained from a conversation with a former comrade, and “the information he provided to me was accurate.”
Yao Cheng stated that Xi Jinping now wants to turn the military into his own “Xi family army” and aims to thoroughly cleanse the military. Therefore, the actions of targeting individuals within the military will not cease. He mentioned that as long as there are individuals in the military who make Xi Jinping uneasy, they will be eliminated. Once a high-ranking individual is removed, more individuals below them will also be purged, as the lower-ranking personnel follow the lead of the upper echelon, causing a chain reaction. There are internal factions within the military, and Xi Jinping definitely intends to uproot them, but in reality, this is very challenging.
Yao Cheng also noted that the main targets of the current military clean-up are officials above the military level, while officers below the division level are primarily involved in corruption issues, even though they do not wield significant power, they have still amassed substantial wealth. Additionally, they are unable to stand by any particular faction since they do not have access to prominent figures.
He stated, “Can a division commander or a regimental commander get in touch with the Minister of National Defense? No, they can’t. Therefore, the individuals being targeted by Xi Jinping now are those above the military level, at the general level. There are still many division commanders and regimental commanders below them to be promoted.”
Chen Pokong also commented that Xi Jinping lacks confidence in his control over the military. Through conducting purification within the military and replacing current military leaders with new personnel, on the one hand, these new individuals appear loyal to him, and on the other hand, he may believe that this purge can completely eradicate corruption within the military while preventing collusion with foreign entities. However, this goal is fundamentally unachievable. Unless there is a political system reform, which is almost impossible for Xi Jinping. Therefore, Chen Pokong believes that Xi Jinping’s continued cleansing of the military is addressing the symptoms rather than the root cause, and this approach is unlikely to succeed.
A recent video circulating online shows that the Chinese military has completely become the “Party Guard.” In the video, the oath of CCP soldiers has changed from the previous “serve the people” to “serve the Chinese Communist Party.”
Chen Pokong remarked that Xi Jinping has openly transformed the Chinese military into the “Party Guard” of the CCP and the future slogan may further evolve into “serve Xi Jinping wholeheartedly,” paving the way for the complete personalization of the military under him.
He stated that Xi Jinping may take advantage of this situation to further party politicize the military and ultimately personalize it, making it akin to the North Korean model. The overt slogan in North Korea is to defend the Kim dynasty and Kim Jong-un, and Xi Jinping may follow a similar path. Currently, it is still in the testing phase.
Xi Jinping is currently dismissing one by one the military committee members personally selected by him under the pretext of corruption and malfeasance, although the real reason is that these individuals may all be hidden dangers of rebellion.
Previously reliable sources revealed to Epoch Times that there is internal strife within the CCP, mutual distrust, with many individuals aiming to overthrow Xi, including those he most recently promoted and those closest to him. All those arrested are disloyal to Xi and have private actions against him.
It is reported that Xi Jinping believes in ancient prophecies and fears becoming the “destined victim” in prophecies like the “Tui Bei Tu” and “Tie Ban Tu,” dying while in office. Hence, he initiated a purge in the Rocket Force and among high-ranking military officials.
The Rocket Force carrying the “bow” committed a major taboo in Xi Jinping’s eyes. With guidance from “wise counsel,” Xi carried out a purge of the Rocket Force generals he personally promoted.
Information obtained from reliable sources mentioned that, “Xi Jinping truly believes in prophecies and is very afraid of death. In these prophecies, there are images of archers, which he believes correspond to the Rocket Force, so he removed and arrested all those in the Rocket Force. This is the main reason.”
(Journalist Ning Xin contributed to this article)