(Tai-yuan Yang, Contract Research Fellow of the Institute of Chinese Communist Studies)
According to media reports on July 31, Huang Kunming, the Communist Party Secretary of Guangdong Province, led a delegation to visit the Southern Theater Command and attended the Bayi (August 1st) Supporting the Army Symposium. The Southern Theater Command chief Wu Yanan also attended the symposium. Wu, born in August 1962, from Shijiazhuang, Hebei, has previously served as the Commander of the 78th Group Army of the Northern Theater Command, Deputy Commander of the Northern Theater Command and Commander of its Army/ Ground Force, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC), Commander of the Central Theater Command, and Deputy Commander of the Joint Operations Command Center of the CMC. He is a member of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and owns a doctoral degree. On the same day, the Liaoning Province Bayi Military and Political Symposium was held in Shenyang. Hao Peng, the Communist Party Secretary of Liaoning Province, and the Chairman of Provincial Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) attended the meeting and delivered a speech. It was also attended by Huang Ming, Commander of the Northern Theater Command, who was born in April 1963, from Yixing, Jiangsu Province, and has previously served as the Commander of the 81st Group Army of the Central Theater Command, Deputy Commander of the Army, Chief of the Staff of the Army, Commander of the Central Theater Command, and a member of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC.
Based on media reports, it is judged that Wu Yanan’s transferring to the Commander of the Southern Theater Command would leave his vacant position as Deputy Commander of the Joint Operations Command Center of the CMC to Wang Xiubin, the former Commander of Southern Theater Command. Wang, born in March 1964, from Rudong, Jiangsu Province, has previously served as Deputy Commander of the Central Theater Command Army, the Commander of the 1st Group Army of the Eastern Theater Command, the Commander of the 80th Group Army of the Northern Theater Command, the Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Eastern Theater Command, and the Commander of the Southern Theater Command. He was a member of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC and holds a master’s degree. The swap of Huang Ming to the Commander of the Northern Theater Command from the Central Theater Command would lead to the reassignment of Wang Qiang from the Commander of the Northern Theater Command to the Central Theater Command. Wang, born in January 1965, from Rong County, Sichuan Province, has previously served as Chief of Staff of the Western Theater Command Air Force, Deputy Commander of the Western Theater Command, Commander of the Western Theater Command Air Force, and the Commander of the Joint Operations Command Center of the CMC. He is a member of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC.
Observing the current commanders of the five military theaters of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), there are four commanders who had served as the Commander of the Central Theater Command, except for Wang Haijiang, the Commander of the Western Theater Command, who has combat experience from the Battle of Laoshan against Vietnam. It indicates that Xi Jinping has greater trusts on commanders with background serving in the Central Theater Command. Furthermore, Xi Jinping has made partial and swap adjustment to the commanders of theater commands, which is similar to the act of Chairman Mao Zedong of the CMC on December 22, 1973, when Mao issued an order to immediately swap commanders of 8 major military regions. Xi didn’t make a comprehensive swap of the theater commanders or service commanders, that is interpreted as a deliberate show of his strength as a warning to tighten and strength control over the military.
A ceremony for the promotions of Wang Renhua, Secretary of the CMC Political and Legal Commission, and Xiao Tianliang, President of the National Defense University, to the rank of general was held in Bayi (August 1st) Building on March 28, 2024. Wang Renhua, born in July 1962, has previously served as Deputy Director of the PLA Army Political Work Department, Secretary of Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Eastern Theater Command Navy, the Deputy Secretary and Secretary of the CMC Political and Legal Commission, and member of the Central Political and Legal Commission (CPLC). He is also a member of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC. Xiao Tianliang, born in November 1962, from Zaoyang, Hubei Province, has previously served as Deputy Director of the Political Department of the South Sea Fleet, Deputy Director and Director of the Strategic Teaching and Research Department of the National Defense University, and Vice President and President of the University. He holds a doctoral degree. Then He Hongjun, Deputy Head of the CMC Political Work Department, was also promoted to the rank of general on July 9. He, born in August 1961, from Yang County, Shaanxi Province, has previously served as Deputy Director of the Cadre Bureau of the General Political Department concurrently serving as Director of the Bureau of Veteran Cadres, Director of the Cadre Bureau of the CMC Political Department, and Deputy Director of the CMC Political Work Department. He is also a member of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC.
The exceptional promotions of Wang Renhua and He Hongjun from “deputy at theater-level” to “chief at theater-level” and conferring them the rank of generals by Xi Jinping, has highlighted the difficult choices Xi made in dealing with the military management. In the early stage of leading the military, Xi had made the greatest efforts to clear out the corruption group of Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, which was mainly concentrated on “logistics officers” and “political officers.” Xi, therefore, tried to avoid favoring the “political generals.” However, things go contrary to his wishes, for the recent corruption group of Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu has involved more extensive, with the Equipment Development Department, the military-industrial system, the Rocket Force, and the Air Force. In order to investigate and eliminate the remnants of Wei and Li’s group, Xi can’t help but reuse the “political generals” by conferring the rank of general to Wan Renhua for his credits in investigating the cases. He Hongjun was promoted to the rank of general from Deputy Head of the CMC Political Work Department, which indicates that he would be a candidate for the Director of CMC Political Work Department, and the successor of Miao Hua.
Examining the CMC functional agencies, there are four “political generals,” including Miao Hua, Director of the CMC Political Work Department, Zhang Shengmin, Secretary of the CMC Discipline Inspection Commission, Wang Renhua, Secretary of CMC Political and Legal Commission, and He Hongjun, Deputy Director of CMC Political Work Department, showing Xi’s reusing the “political generals.” Xi has reaffirmed his commitment to persistently eliminating corruption in the military and implementing the absolute leadership of the Party over the military through the CMC Political Work Conference. In other words, Xi prioritizes on the military’s adhering to the leadership of the Party and loyalty to the Party. His reusing the “political generals” implies a lack of trust in military leaders, whether the combat capabilities are affected is no longer a primary concern of his at present.
It indicates in the Communique of the third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC that Ju Qiansheng, the former Commander of the Strategic Support Force, and Xu Zhongbo, former political commissar of the Rocket Force, remain members of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC and representatives of the 14th National People’s Congress. Both of them have cooperated with the investigation and were not involved in the case, but were held responsible for mismanagement, thus, no longer being assigned posts. The change of Ding Xingnong’s position from Director of the Political Work Department of the Strategic Support Force to Director of Political Work Department of the Rocket Force reveals that Zhang Fengzhong’s position as the Director of Political Work Department of the Rocket Force has been removed and is under investigation, and that the case involving Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu is still ongoing under thorough investigation.
China’s Defense Minister Dong Jun was not promoted to a member of the CMC during the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, probably because Xi Jinping is still conducting evaluation on him. Dong might be promoted to the CMC once the evaluation is completed, or the position of the Defense Minister might be kept at the ministerial level instead of deputy at state level, which could be detrimental to the progress of PLA’s military diplomacy. Xi Jinping has convened the CMC Political Work Conference, exceptionally promoted “political generals,” and executed partial and rotational swaps of military theater commanders. The purpose behind these actions is to “uphold the Party’s absolute leadership over the military,” fulfill the “chairman decision-making system,” and implement “anti-corruption” campaign.
（Translated to English by Tracy Chou）
