The Chinese Ministry of National Defense recently held a military reception dinner, during which several senior generals were notably absent. The event saw the presence of many retired military figures, with Liu Shaoqi’s son, Liu Yuan, seated at a prominent table, drawing attention.
On July 31, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense hosted a reception dinner at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to commemorate the 98th anniversary of the military. The event was presided over and addressed by Minister of National Defense Dong Jun. Two members of the Military Commission, Liu Zhenli and Zhang Shengmin, were in attendance. As per tradition, neither the chairman nor vice-chairman of the Military Commission were present.
On August 6, veteran writer from “Nikkei Asia”, Nakazawa Keizo, analyzed the information revealed during this event.
According to Nakazawa’s article, the video footage from the event showed that there were barely over 10 active duty high-ranking officers present this year, compared to nearly 20 at the previous year’s dinner. The absent generals this year came from multiple military branches, including the Army, Navy, Rocket Forces, and Armed Police Force, among others. This included the disgraced former Military Commission member Miao Hua. Vice Chairman of the Military Commission, He Weidong, was also notably absent.
Nakazawa pointed out that the dinner featured five large round tables in the front and smaller tables in the back. The seating arrangement at the front round tables was notably expanded, symbolizing an unusual level of presence. Three retired generals who attracted attention were Liu Yuan, the late Chinese former President Liu Shaoqi’s son, Wang Guanzhong who served as the Director of the General Office of the Military Commission during Hu Jintao’s era, and Cai Yingting who was Deputy Chief of Staff of the Chinese military. They were seated at one of the large round tables but not the central one as in previous similar occasions, where they were usually placed at the smaller tables at the back.
From the CCTV footage, it was confirmed that Liu Yuan was seated at one of the large round tables.
Nakazawa Keizo speculated in the article that Defense Minister Dong Jun likely felt significant pressure from the presence of these retired military figures at the event, suggesting that such pressure could have an impact on the current political situation in the Chinese Communist Party.
The article mentioned that the unofficial “Beidaihe Conference” of the CCP had begun, and influential retired high-ranking officers were expected to attend the meeting to discuss with party elders. Additionally, the Fourth Plenum of the CCP was scheduled for October, which could be a crucial venue for key personnel changes at the top levels. Therefore, at this critical juncture, the reappearance of retired military leaders at the military reception dinner was particularly noteworthy.
On August 4, Hong Kong media outlet “Sing Tao Daily” reported that compared to the previous year’s reception, this year’s main table was missing 7 active-duty generals, including Wang Chunning, Commander of the Armed Police Force, Zhang Hongbing, Political Commissar of the Armed Police Force, and Yuan Huazhi, Political Commissar of the Navy. Representatives from the Political Work Department of the Military Commission and the Central Theater Command were also absent.
The YouTube channel “Zhonggui Zhongju” compared the CCTV footage and pointed out that this year’s composition of the main table at the Ministry of National Defense reception showed a significant change from the previous year, indicating a major restructuring and rejuvenation of the military.
In 2024, the main table had a total of 21 people, including 19 active-duty generals and 2 officials of equivalent rank related to the military. This year, the main table still had 21 individuals, but only 12 were generals, with the addition of 7 so-called role model figures from the military.
The Chinese military has been turbulent in recent years, with personnel changes such as the fall of Miao Hua and the prolonged disappearance of He Weidong, Vice Chairman of the Military Commission. There have been rumors circulating online that Liu Yuan, a long-retired member of the CCP red second generation, may take on the role of Vice Chairman of the Military Commission. However, before his appearance at the Ministry of National Defense reception, Beijing senior media figure Gao Yu had disclosed on X Platform on July 26 that Liu Yuan had temporarily left Beijing to avoid suspicion.
Liu Yuan is considered a prominent figure within the CCP princelings, having served as a political commissar in the Chinese Military Academy and the General Logistics Department, where he assisted former CCP General Secretary Hu Jintao in ousting high-ranking military officials like Gu Junshan. In a 2012 article on Deutsche Welle, Gao Yu revealed that Liu Yuan was once considered for a position in the 18th Military Commission but for unknown reasons did not materialize.
At the beginning of Xi Jinping’s tenure, Liu Yuan continued to support Xi by helping to remove figures from the Jiang faction like Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou. It was widely speculated that Liu Yuan would ascend to the Central Military Commission and even potentially serve as the Commission’s Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission after the 19th Party Congress. However, in 2015 at the age of 64, Liu Yuan “resigned” from his position in the General Logistics Department and was reassigned to a non-role in the National People’s Congress Financial and Economic Committee. Some analysts suggested that given Liu Yuan’s seniority, Xi did not want a strong potential competitor within the military ranks.
Even in his non-role in the NPC, Liu Yuan’s influence remained strong. During the sessions of the 13th and 14th National People’s Congress in 2018 and 2023, respectively, Liu Yuan received votes for national supervisory commission directors and national delegates, which surprised many observers.
Commentator Shi Chuanyun wrote that the National People’s Congress of the CCP is often mockingly referred to as a rubber stamp institution, where those elected are essentially pre-selected by the authorities, and unexpected incidents are strictly guarded against. Despite a few opposing or abstaining votes, it is rare for someone other than the chosen candidate to receive votes. Under political pressure, Liu Yuan received two votes and one vote in consecutive sessions of the NPC, which is significant. This is believed to signify the dissatisfaction within the party towards Liu Yuan’s inability to continue in a key anti-corruption role, and those voting for Liu Yuan likely came from the military ranks.
The article suggests that even if Liu Yuan himself has no intention of opposing Xi, those who are against Xi would support and push Liu Yuan forward.
Australian scholar Yuan Hongbing, who has connections with insiders of the CCP, revealed that Liu Yuan was involved in the behind-the-scenes operations of the red second generation opposing Xi. Allegedly, there are currently three factions within the CCP system – one led by figures like Hu Deping, son of Hu Yaobang, and Liu Yuan, son of Liu Shaoqi; another led by Deng Pufang, son of Deng Xiaoping, and Chen Yuan, son of Chen Yun; and the extreme left faction of Mao Zedong’s adherents, all aiming to prevent Xi Jinping from being re-elected at the 21st Congress through various political maneuvers.