What’s behind Xi’s purges?

• Recent purges in the Chinese government and defense leadership have drawn global attention
• Prominent officials, such as the Foreign Minister and Rocket Force commanders, have been replaced or disappeared without official explanations
• The unusual simultaneous removal of high-ranking military personnel and cross-branch appointments sparks questions about significant power shifts in China’s leadership
• Speculation surrounds President Xi Jinping’s motives, potentially linked to factional politics, internal dissatisfaction, or a broader strategy in addressing China’s complex challenges

The recent disappearances of high-ranking officials in the Chinese government and defense forces have drawn considerable attention. With scant information and few explanations forthcoming, the world is left to speculate on the reasons and reasoning behind President Xi’s seemingly abrupt moves.

In July, Beijing quietly ousted senior diplomat and Foreign Minister Qin Gang from office. Weeks before he was officially replaced, Qin Gang had disappeared from the public eye.

Early last month, in another surprising move, President Xi named Wang Houbin as commander and Xu Xisheng as political commissar of the country’s elite Rocket Force. The previous commander was detained, and reports suggest that a former deputy commander of the elite Force died in early July of suspected suicide.

China’s Rocket Force is responsible for the PLA’s land-based nuclear and conventional ballistic missiles. Until 2016, it was known as the PLA Second Artillery Force.

As usual, no explanations were given for replacing the previous chief, Li Yuchao, appointed just a year ago. Military experts opine that replacing two top brass at once and bringing in people from other branches to lead such a strategic force is highly unusual. The timing of the move, just a week after the sacking of Foreign Minister Qing Gang, pointed to a major reshuffling in China’s power circles.

But President Xi seems to be still working on his reshuffle. Now, China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu, appointed in March, is missing after it was reported that he was being investigated for corruption along with eight other senior officials. According to a recent Reuters report, “The investigation into Li relates to the procurement of military equipment, according to a regional security official and three people in direct contact with the Chinese military.”

The People’s Liberation Army’s Discipline Inspection Commission can investigate Chinese military officials for any offense ranging from corruption to political disloyalty to personal conduct.

With no official word other than formal announcements of new appointments, the world is viewing these developments as an unusual shake-up that indicates deep-rooted troubles in the military and defense establishment of the country.

The Director of the China program at the Washington-based Stimson Center think tank opined, “Especially at a time when China is trying to build up its nuclear arsenal to deter potential U.S. intervention in a Taiwan contingency, the personnel reshuffle and the underlying causes of it (would) raise skepticism about the force’s ability to carry out that mission reliably and successfully.”

President Xi is known for purging senior officials and surrounding himself with loyal cronies. But even for him, the frequency of the sacking and replacement of the country’s top officials seem excessive.

There is speculation that he may have been forced to carry out these changes to please some factions of the Party. The presence of the senior military leader at the annual closed-door meeting, held at the seaside resort of Beidaihe points to such a possibility.

While sources in the know state that Chi Haotian, the 94-year-old retired general of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), did not speak, former Vice President Zeng Qinghong “reprimanded” the President “in ways they had not until now.”

In his unprecedented third term, President Xi is leading a country buffeted by headwinds from all sides. The economy is shrinking, unemployment rates are high, tensions with neighbors and the U.S. are escalating, and it would seem many are unhappy with his leadership at home.

Walking a tightrope, the Chinese leader must satisfy the elders as he steers the country along his agenda. Purging members from the cabinet is nothing new; what’s worth knowing is whether President Xi Jinping, the Communist Party of China’s “unrivaled leader,” is shaking up the top echelons of the Chinese government and defense forces merely to contain discontent or if it is another step in his aggressive agenda.

1. Ukraine Says Russian Black Sea Fleet Commander Among 34 Officers Killed – Al Jazeera

Ukraine’s special forces said that the commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, and 33 other officers were killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on the fleet’s headquarters in the Crimean port of Sevastopol last week.

Earlier, Ukraine’s special forces said that Friday’s attack on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol was aimed at a Russian Navy leadership meeting.

2. Russia Seeks To Rejoin UN’s Human Rights Council – BBC

Russia is seeking to rejoin the United Nations Human Rights Council in an election that will be a key test of its international standing. It was expelled from the UN’s pre-eminent human rights body last April after its forces invaded Ukraine.

Russia promises to find “adequate solutions for human rights issues.” It seeks to stop the council from becoming an “instrument which serves political wills of one group of countries,” understood as a reference to the West.

3. U.N. Report Accuses Russia Of ‘Widespread And Systematic’ Torture In Ukraine – UPI

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine made the accusations during a presentation to the U.N.’s Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The commission said it has documented a string of war crimes perpetrated by Russian forces, ranging from damaging a strategic dam to transferring unaccompanied children from Ukraine to Russia.

4. Russia Tells Armenia’s Pashinyan: You Are Making A Big Mistake By Flirting With West – Reuters

Russia told Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan that he had only himself to blame for Azerbaijan’s victory over Nagorno-Karabakh because he had insisted on flirting with the West rather than working with Moscow and Baku for peace.

Pashinyan said in an address to the nation that Russia had failed Armenia by not providing more help to avert the crisis over the breakaway region, adding that he would have to transform Armenia’s security alliances.

5. Nearly 3,000 People Flee Nagorno-Karabakh To Armenia – UPI

Armenia said nearly 3,000 ethnic Armenians have crossed into the country from the Nagorno-Karabakh region recaptured last week by Azerbaijan.

The ethnic Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan reclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh with a so-called anti-terrorism campaign launched on Tuesday that targeted Armenian military positions within the disputed region.

6. U.S. Recognizes Two Pacific Nations To Counter China – D.W.

President Joe Biden said that the United States officially recognized The Cook Islands and Niue as “sovereign and independent states.” The move aimed to curb further Chinese inroads into the Pacific region.

The Cook Islands and Niue have a combined population of less than 20,000 but form a vast economic zone in the South Pacific. Both are self-governing nations in “free association” with New Zealand, meaning their foreign and defense policies are tied to Wellington to varying degrees.

7. Philippines Removes China’s Floating Atoll Barrier – Infographics – tippinsights

The Philippines has removed a floating barrier recently installed by Chinese coast guard boats to block access to a prime fishing patch within a disputed area of the South China Sea.

The country’s foreign ministry claims the barriers violated international law and threatened the livelihood of their fishermen.

China claims 90% of the South China Sea, overlapping with the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

8. U.S.-China Rivalry Spurs Investment In Space Tech – BBC

The U.S. is “in a space race with China to return to the moon,” says NASA chief Bill Nelson. He wants to ensure “we get there first.” NASA is employing private companies to do much more of the work.

China is the only country with its own space station; it has already brought moon samples back to earth and plans to reach the polar regions of the lunar surface.

9. U.S. To Loan Poland $2 Billion For Military Modernization – D.W.

“Poland is a stalwart U.S. Ally, and Poland’s security is vital to the collective defense of NATO’s Eastern Flank,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement.

Poland is now looking for state-of-the-art military technology from U.S. and South Korean defense companies to replace the largely Soviet-era equipment that it handed over to Ukraine.

Poland shares a long border with Belarus — a key Russian ally — a source of heated tension at the edge of the EU and NATO.

10. UK Cost-Of-Living Crisis Set To “Cut Lives Short”: Report – AFP

A study published by open access journal BMJ Public Health said the proportion of people “dying before their time” (under the age of 75) will rise by nearly 6.5 percent due to sustained high prices.

Without any mitigation, the model found that inflation could increase deaths by five percent in the least deprived areas and 23 percent in the most deprived.

11. U.S. Denies Top Iran Diplomat’s Request To Visit Washington: State Department – Al Arabiya

State Department spokesman said Hossein Amir-Abdollahian’s request to visit the Iranian consular interest section in Washington, DC, was refused, citing Iran’s detention of American citizens.

The U.S. permits officials to visit New York, home to the UN. “But we do not have an obligation to allow them to travel to Washington, DC,” Miller said.

12. Taiwan To Launch First Domestically Built Submarine – Infographics – tippinsights

Taiwan hopes to deploy at least two new, domestically developed submarines by 2027 to strengthen deterrence against the Chinese navy and protect key supply lines.

Taiwanese admiral Admiral Huang Shu-Kuang, who is leading the program, said a fleet of 10 submarines – which includes two Dutch-made submarines commissioned in the 1980s – will make it harder for the Chinese navy to project power into the Pacific.

13. Saudi Arabia Plans Tougher Checks On Its Nuclear Activities – Middle East Eye

Saudi Arabia said it has agreed to greater oversight of its nuclear activities by the UN atomic watchdog, IAEA, a step the agency has been demanding for years.

The move means Riyadh would switch to full-blown nuclear safeguards, signaling that the country is moving towards a broader nuclear program.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said that the country is not seeking nuclear weapons but will develop an atomic bomb if its archrival Iran does.

14. North Korea: Yoon A ‘Guy With A Trash-Like Brain’ – A.P.

North Korea also called South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol “a diplomatic idiot” as it blasted him for using his speech at the UN to issue a warning over Pyongyang’s deepening military ties with Russia.

In a speech at the UN General Assembly last week, Yoon said South Korea “will not sit idly by” if North Korea and Russia agree to weapons deals that would threaten Seoul.

15. U.S. Has Failed To Compensate Iraqi Victims Of Torture, Says Rights Group – Middle East Eye

The U.S. government has failed to compensate the Iraqi victims of torture at Abu Ghraib and other U.S.-run prisons in Iraq, Human Rights Watch said in a new report.

The George W. Bush administration told U.S. Congress that any Iraqis who suffered “grievous and brutal abuse cruelty at the hands of a few members of the United States armed forces” would be eligible for compensation. However, that compensation never materialized, according to the report.

16. Electric Vehicle Tariff Planned On Exports To UK – Infographics – tippinsights

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has called on the European Commission to postpone a 10% “rules of origin” tariff on EU electric vehicle exports to the UK.

Under the EU-UK post-Brexit trade deal, EVs need to have 45% EU or UK content from January 2024, with a 50%-60% requirement for their batteries, or face British or EU import tariffs of 10%.

“Driving up consumer prices of European electric vehicles, at the very time when we need to fight for market share in the face of fierce international competition, is not the right move – neither from a business nor an environmental perspective,” stated Luca de Meo, ACEA President and CEO of Renault Group. “We will effectively be handing a chunk of the market to global manufacturers.”

17. Honouring Nazi-Linked Veteran “Deeply Embarrassing”: Justin Trudeau – AFP

Canada’s PM said the singling out of a Ukrainian veteran alleged to have fought for the Nazis during World War II for a standing ovation during a visit by Kyiv’s leader was shameful and intolerable.

The speaker of Canada’s parliament, Anthony Rota, has apologized for the gaffe.

He’d paid homage to Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian immigrant, during President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Canada, telling the House of Commons Hunka had “fought for Ukrainian independence.”

Republished with permission from TIPP Insights