Priyanka Tiwari
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China's former Defense Minister, General Li Shangfu, has been officially removed from the Central Military Commission (CMC), the nation's highest military command body chaired by President Xi Jinping himself. This final, formal ouster marks the culmination of a dramatic downfall for a man once at the pinnacle of China's defense establishment and signals a deepening of the most significant government purge in a decade.
The move, quietly announced by state media, was widely expected. General Li vanished from public view last August and was formally fired from his role as Defense Minister in October without any official explanation. His removal from the powerful CMC—the nerve center of the People's Liberation Army (PLA)—effectively severs his last tie to China's military leadership.
Li's downfall is not an isolated event but a key part of a sweeping anti-corruption crackdown that has rocked the highest echelons of the PLA. The purge has particularly targeted the Rocket Force, the elite unit responsible for managing China's nuclear arsenal. Several of its top commanders have been abruptly removed in recent months, raising serious questions about military readiness and the integrity of its leadership.
The turmoil extends beyond the military. Last year, China's then-Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, also disappeared before being unceremoniously dismissed from his post, creating international confusion and highlighting the opaque and often ruthless nature of Chinese elite politics.
While Beijing has cited corruption as the reason for the shake-up, many analysts believe the purge is driven by Xi Jinping's desire to root out any hint of disloyalty and consolidate his absolute control over the armed forces. Reports have also suggested that the crackdown may be linked to concerns over faulty military equipment and potential intelligence leaks to foreign powers.
This ongoing political earthquake within China's leadership demonstrates Xi's firm grip on power, but it also exposes potential instability and deep-seated problems within the very institutions central to his global ambitions.
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