Chinese paramilitary police stand guard at Tiananmen Square. (China Photos/Getty Images)
[People News] The outside world was shocked to learn that the Chinese Communist Party's military purge had resulted in the arrest and investigation of most generals, leaving only six active generals, which has impacted the combat effectiveness of the CCP's military. However, the purge is ongoing. On the 27th, authorities announced the dismissal of eight officials from their positions as National People's Congress representatives, including four generals and one lieutenant general. In addition to issues of corruption and suspicions of political disloyalty, are there other factors threatening the CCP's grip on power that have compelled the party to carry out a significant overhaul of the military?
The meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress concluded on the 27th. Following the meeting, it was officially announced that Zhang Shengmin would replace He Weidong as the deputy director of the military election committee. He Weidong, He Hongjun, and six others were stripped of their qualifications as National People's Congress representatives. Among those confirmed to have fallen for the first time are General Wang Renhua, secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of the Central Military Commission, General Zhang Hongbing, political commissar of the Armed Police Force, and Lieutenant General Wang Peng, director of the Training Management Department of the Central Military Commission. More than half of the officials in the military election committee have faced issues, but the authorities have not disclosed the list of replacements, and the reasons remain unclear.
According to a report by the CCP's Xinhua News Agency on December 27, the meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress appointed Zhang Shengmin as the deputy director of the CCP's military election committee (hereinafter referred to as the election committee).
The meeting announcement also indicated that He Weidong, the former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, has been removed from his position as a National People's Congress representative.
The representatives who were dismissed simultaneously also include several high-profile figures: former Jiangsu State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission director Xie Zhengyi, former vice chairman of the Hunan Provincial People's Congress Wulan, former vice chairman of the Xinjiang Regional Political Consultative Conference Jin Zhizhen, as well as former executive deputy director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission He Hongjun, Central Military Commission Training Management Department director Wang Peng, Wang Renhua, and former political commissar of the Armed Police Zhang Hongbing, among other generals.
Before the Fourth Plenary Session of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held in October this year, He Weidong and nine other generals, including Miao Hua and He Hongjun, were expelled from the Party and military for 'suspected serious job-related crimes.' During the Fourth Plenary Session, Zhang Shengmin was appointed as the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.
Rumours about Wang Renhua and Zhang Hongbing's troubles had been circulating for some time. At the Fourth Plenary Session, absentees included Wang Renhua, a member of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and Zhang Hongbing, the political commissar of the Armed Police. Wang Renhua's name was removed from the leadership list on the official website of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission on October 25, indicating that he had encountered issues.
Wang Peng, the director of the Training Management Department of the Central Military Commission, was confirmed to have problems for the first time.
Notably, the current National People's Congress (NPC) website has only announced Zhang Shengmin as the vice chairman of the CPC Military Election Committee, without providing details on adjustments to other personnel in this committee.
The CPC Military Election Committee is primarily responsible for the so-called 'elections' of military representatives to the NPC and for reviewing the qualifications of military NPC representatives, among other responsibilities.
Following the conclusion of the 20th CPC National Congress, the Standing Committee of the NPC released the list of the current Military Election Committee in December 2022. The director is Zhang Youxia, the deputy director is He Weidong, and the members include Li Shangfu, Liu Zhenli, Miao Hua, Zhang Shengmin, Zhong Shaojun, Wang Renhua, He Hongjun, Wang Chengnan, and Sun Bin, totalling 11 members.
In September 2024, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the Communist Party of China appointed Fang Yongxiang as a member of the Military Selection Committee. At that time, Fang had already been promoted to Director of the Military Commission General Office. His appointment to the Selection Committee is believed to be a replacement for Zhong Shaojun, the former Director of the Military Commission General Office, who had been reassigned as the Political Commissar of the National Defence University. However, there has been no announcement regarding Zhong Shaojun's removal from the Selection Committee.
On October 28 of this year, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress dismissed Sun Bin from his role as a representative of the National People's Congress and Deputy Auditor General of the Military Commission Audit Office.
Official reports following the Fourth Plenary Session indicate that Zhong Shaojun's position as Political Commissar of the National Defence University has been replaced, and there are rumours of his arrest. Additionally, Fang Yongxiang, the Director of the Military Commission General Office, has been missing for some time. During the Fourth Plenary Session, he was expected to be promoted from an alternate member to a full member of the Central Committee, but he was overlooked, leading to speculation that he is under investigation.
As of now, among the original members of the Military Selection Committee, eight individuals, including He Weidong, Li Shangfu, Miao Hua, He Hongjun, Wang Renhua, Sun Bin, Zhong Shaojun, and Fang Yongxiang, have been confirmed to be in trouble. However, the reasons for the lack of an official announcement regarding personnel changes in the entire Selection Committee remain unclear. △
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