Beijing’s Demand for Loyalty From Soldiers Indicates Military Instability: Analysts

A missile sits on display in the courtyard of the Military Museum in Beijing on Sept. 5, 2001. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

The Chinese military mouthpiece recently called on all soldiers to “prepare for war” and be loyal to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Some China observers say the move indicates that the leadership in Beijing is asserting its authority as it fears losing control of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The PLA Daily published a commentary on Aug. 6, which stressed that soldiers should learn by heart the speech that CCP leader Xi Jinping gave to the military in November 2022—particularly about focusing on “winning the battle” and being “prepared for war.”

Economist Cai Shenkun commented on the issue and wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Is the article delivering Xi’s warning to those military leaders who lack the will to fight, or is the talk of war just covering up the crackdown on corruption among PLA leaders?”

When state propaganda publishes reports about how the military must be loyal to Mr. Xi and the CCP, it usually indicates the top leadership is losing control of the military, Mr. Cai said.

Su Tzu-yun, a Taiwan-based national defense analyst, believes that recent events indicate that Party leadership could be losing support from the PLA.

He took the Chinese leader’s trip to the PLA Eastern Theater Command headquarters in eastern Jiangsu Province on July 6 as an example. Mr. Xi emphasized “strengthening the Party’s command over the PLA” in his address to the officers, Mr. Su noted.

A similar emphasis was seen in the regime’s propaganda.

On Aug. 1, Beijing published a new “study outline” on “Xi Jinping Thought” for the military. “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” encompasses the Chinese leader’s ideologies on all aspects of Chinese society, including politics, businesses, and the military, among other things.

The PLA Daily followed up with an article on Aug. 3, stressing mandatory allegiance to Mr. Xi and the CCP.

Chinese military delegates leave the closing session of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party at The Great Hall of People in Beijing on Oct. 22, 2022. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Rocket Force Shake-Up

Analysts noted that Mr. Xi’s latest shake-up of the Rocket Force showed he did not trust its leaders.

On July 31, Beijing announced that Wang Houbin, former deputy commander of the navy, was the new head of the Rocket Force. Xu Xisheng was named the Rocket Force’s new political commissar. Both men were also promoted to the top rank of general. The move indirectly confirmed that Li Yuchao, the former chief, and Xu Zhongbo, the former political commissar, had both lost Mr. Xi’s trust, according to China observer Wang He, a contributor to The Epoch Times.

Hong Kong-based Chinese media South China Morning Post reported that Mr. Li was removed from his post due to alleged corruption, along with past and present deputies, Zhang Zhenzhong and Liu Guangbin.

Moreover, Wu Guohua, the former deputy commander of the Rocket Force who was retired for three years, died on July 4 of an unspecified illness. His death, which was not announced until July 25, caused much speculation on Chinese social media.

Mr. Wu had “committed suicide,” said the son of his former superior, Zhang Zhen, former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, reported the Singtao Daily.

Yuan Hongbing, a Chinese scholar and political commentator, said the Rocket Force had a different mentality from Mr. Xi, according to his sources in Beijing.

“They don’t want to initiate a war in the Taiwan Strait now, fearing that there’s a high chance of losing the battle,” Mr. Yuan told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times. “But Xi believed their mentality was hurting the troops’ morale.”

Mr. Yuan believes the anti-graft probe in the Rocket Force was Mr. Xi’s tactic to exert his influence in the military.

The PLA Rocket Force, formerly known as the PLA 2nd Artillery Force until 2016, is responsible for the military’s land-based nuclear and conventional ballistic missiles.

Chinese state media touted the Rocket Force’s significance in achieving the “dream of a strong military” to full Mr. Xi’s “China Dream.”

Haizhong Ning and Luo Ya contributed to this report.