◎ Xi Jinping has been sweeping the top military rungs since August.
Liu Shengjie, the deputy head of the Chinese military’s Logistic Support Department, was stripped of his Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) membership at the anti-corruption agency’s 8th plenary session on Oct. 9.
Why it matters: Xi Jinping has been sweeping the top military rungs since August:
- In August, Chief of Joint Staff Fang Fenghui and top political commissar Zhang Yang were removed from their office and were left off the list of attendees for the 19th Party Congress. Both generals are reportedly being placed under investigation.
- SinoInsider believes that Fang was involved in a possible coup against Xi.
- In mid-September, the Central Military Commission (CMC) tasked four discipline inspection groups with a month-long probe of key military units, academies, and the CMC itself.
- In end September, three lieutenant generals were suddenly struck off the list of 19th Congress delegates. One of the generals is Logistic Support Department political commissar Zhang Shuguo.
Our take: We anticipate Xi investigating more top generals for their participation in a coup against his leadership. Xi might also be using the coup crisis as an excuse to centralize power and consolidate his authority over the Chinese Communist Party.
See our full report on Fang Fenghui and the failed coup attempt against the Xi Jinping leadership.