Xi Jinping’s Extensive Suppression of the Rocket Force Unveiled

Military vehicles carrying DF-15B ballistic missiles participate in a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2015. (Greg Baker /AFP via Getty Images）

Recent reports shed light on Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s intensified efforts to suppress key figures within military enterprises associated with the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), encompassing the defense, aerospace, and weapons sectors. Information released by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) claims this sweeping operation began six months ago.

According to the CCDI on Sept. 20, the operation commenced in March of this year. This timeline aligns with the complete consolidation of power at the central regime core by Mr. Xi’s faction. Six specialized teams from the CCDI were dispatched in two rounds to investigate the CNNC, a significant player in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) military-industrial complex. The primary focus of these inspections was procurement and supply chain management, and preventive procurement and bidding.

On Sept. 11, veteran Chinese investigative journalist Zhao Lanjian revealed that among the military enterprise figures recently apprehended are Liu Shiquan, chair of Norinco Group; Yuan Jie, chair of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation; Chen Guoying, general manager of China Ordnance Equipment Group; and Tan Ruisong, former chair and secretary of the Party Committee of Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

In addition, several people in associated enterprises who were relieved of their positions in March have also been detained by the CCDI.

“Insiders have disclosed that such incidents cannot be resolved by the mere arrest of a few individuals. The military is a vast faction, constituting a comprehensive system involving various teams and gangs,” Mr. Zhao told The Epoch Times.

“This military crackdown, framed as an anti-corruption effort, has only just begun. In the days ahead, it is expected to delve deeper into the branches and leaves of these factions, subjecting them all to thorough purging,” he added.

Classified Info Leak: Xi’s Deployment Six Months Ago

Delving into historical information concerning the Rocket Force, Equipment Development Department, and military-industrial enterprises, a closer examination reveals that Mr. Xi’s recent crackdown on the Rocket Force and its affiliated sectors was a meticulously planned operation, commencing six months prior.

Based on a report from the CCDI during its investigation of the CNNC, after six months of intensive inspections, the teams identified areas necessitating significant improvements in procurement management systems. Notably, they found vulnerabilities in contractual management and detected excessive procurement from a sole source. The teams outlined ten categories of issues pertaining to supplier management and compiled a list detailing over two hundred identified problems. These findings were then transmitted to the groups’ Discipline Inspection and Supervision Committee, or the disciplinary committees of the inspected companies.

The CNNC, recognized as a pioneer in nuclear technology by the CCP, inked a strategic cooperation agreement with the Rocket Force Engineering University on June 20, 2019. The agreement emphasized fostering cooperation mechanisms, encompassing joint discipline construction, collaborative talent cultivation, advanced technology exchange, and the sharing of laboratory resources in emerging industry chains.

Political commentator Li Yanming conducted an analysis, pointing out that during the sensitive period surrounding the CCP’s 20th National Congress, classified information from the Rocket Force was leaked. Following Mr. Xi’s successful reappointment at the 20th National Congress and the Two Sessions, he promptly dispatched six special inspection teams to twelve subsidiaries under the CNNC. Subsequently, around the time of the Beidaihe Conference, the Rocket Force Headquarters underwent a comprehensive purge, underscoring Mr. Xi’s meticulous preparations and precautions preceding the arrest of senior military leaders within the Rocket Force.

The Military Second Generation Communist Rebellion

In a recent interview with The Epoch Times on Sept. 13, Chinese legal scholar Yuan Hongbing, now residing in Australia, shared insights from informed sources within the CCP. The sources revealed that Li Yuchao, former commander of the CCP’s Rocket Force, was reported to the CCP Central Military Commission’s office by his secretary who said that Mr. Li’s private views opposed Mr. Xi’s strategy of attacking Taiwan.

Mr. Yuan said that Mr. Li publicly supported Mr. Xi’s strategy of attacking Taiwan, but privately, he and his colleagues in the Rocket Force sided with the military’s second-generation red, Liu Yazhou. Military second-generation red are a faction of CCP officials who are the offspring of the officers who fought in the battles that brought the CCP to power. According to their view, if the CCP were to attack Taiwan at present, there is a high probability that the PLA would fail.

Mr. Yuan explained that Mr. Xi primarily governs officials through intelligence methods, and he believes that the entire Rocket Force is not politically loyal to him, which is an impediment to his arrangement for initiating a conflict across the Taiwan Strait. As a result, Mr. Xi Jinping began a comprehensive purge of the leadership of the Rocket Force.

Mr. Zhao expressed his belief that the fundamental cause behind the military turmoil lies in the sharp conflict between Mr. Xi and the second-generation red officials, as well as the military, over the direction of the system. He stated that all the elite layers he has encountered, whether from the second-generation red officials, entrepreneurs, or media professionals, are unequivocally opposed to the present political and social direction in China. He sees a similar sentiment within the military.