Xi Jinping’s Latest Military Maneuver: Promotions Signal Continued Purge and Loyalty Drive

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

Two military officers were promoted to the rank of general on March 28 by the Central Military Commission (CMC), which is headed by Xi Jinping, leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Commentators say the promotions indicate that Xi is further tightening his grip over the party’s military machine, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

An official announcement by state-run Xinhua identified the promoted officers as Wang Renhua, secretary of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CMC, and Xiao Tianliang, president of the University of National Defense (NDU).

The announcement said the rank of general is the highest rank for officers in active service in China.

According to the report, Xi attended the ceremony, which marked the fifth time since the CCP’s 20th National Congress in October 2022 that such promotions to the rank of general have been made. The last promotional ceremony occurred just three months earlier, making 2023 the year with the greatest number of promotions to the rank of general since the restoration of the CCP’s military ranks in 1988.

Lai Jianping, a former Beijing lawyer and chairman of the Canada Branch of the Democracy Party, told The Epoch Times on March 30th that Xi’s promotion of generals twice in just three months underscores the military’s significance to him.

“He relies on the military to maintain the one-party dictatorship and his personal dictatorship,” Lai Jianping remarked. “Xi Jinping aims to make senior military leaders and the entire military more loyal to him by frequently promoting them. His continuous purge of the military has made senior military leaders feel insecure and silent, further consolidating his power.”

Wang Renhua’s Rise Within the Military

Public records indicate Gen. Wang was promoted to rear admiral in 2013 after serving as director of the Political Department of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Then, in 2015, he was appointed as Director of the Political Department of the Land Equipment Research and Procurement Department within the General Armament Department. A few months later, he was transferred to become the Deputy Director of the Political Work Department of the Army. In 2017, crossing branches of the military, he was named Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of the East China Sea Fleet of the Navy. The following year, he attended multiple events as the Deputy Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee (PLAC) of the CMC.

Gen. Wang’s career ascent continued when in 2019, he was promoted to the rank of vice admiral. That winter, he was appointed as the Secretary of the PLAC, serving concurrently as a member of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Committee.

PLAC is one of 15 functional departments within the CMS and was established as part of the military’s reform efforts in 2015 with responsibility for leading and managing the political and legal work of the entire CCP military.

Xiao Tianliang’s contributions to CCP

Born in Zaoyang, Hubei, 61-year-old Gen. Xiao is recognized as an expert in strategic military matters for the CCP.

Public records indicate that since 1989, he has been engaged in military research and teaching, graduating in 2000 with a PhD from the CCP’s National Defense University (NDU).

In 2008 he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral. In 2014, he was appointed Vice President of the NDU. Two years later, he was promoted to the rank of vice admiral, then to President of the NDU in 2023. This university is the CCP’s highest military institution under the CMC whose leaders are all major generals.

Gen. Xiao has also authored numerous books and dozens of academic papers and was instrumental in compiling the “Science, Technology, and Future Military Strategy.'” In 2014 and 2021, he twice served as the keynote speaker at discussions on new trends in world military development and the promotion of military innovation by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the CCP.

Consolidating China’s Military Continues

U.S.-based political commentator, Tang Jingyuan, told The Epoch Times that Gen. Xiao’s recent promotion was a normally accepted practice for someone who was an NDU president, whereas Gen. Wang’s promotion was an exception as two of his predecessors had risen no higher than vice-admiral.

Commenting further on the implications of Gen. Wang’s unusual promotion, Mr. Tang remarked: “The main reason Xi Jinping promoted generals again after only three months is that since last year’s Rocket Force case, he has launched a large-scale purge across the entire military. Wang Renhua played a ’meritorious’ role in it and had a significant impact, so Xi Jinping rewarded him with an exceptional promotion.”

Independent commentator Xiang Yang, also based in the United States, said: “Wang Renhua’s promotion signifies that the PLAC of the CMC, the ’military security guard,' will become increasingly important in Xi Jinping’s future purging of the military.”

He highlighted the extensive authority wielded by the PLAC secretary and emphasized the institution’s role in maintaining stability within the military.

Xi’s ongoing purge of the military since July 2023 has removed numerous senior military officers and executives, particularly within the Rocket Force, Strategic Support Force, and Equipment Development Department. Five CCP general’ downfalls were attributed to perceived political disloyalty.

“In this way, Xi Jinping wants to motivate the military that only those who are clearly loyal to him have the possibility of being promoted,” Mr. Tang. “In other words, Xi Jinping’s biggest problem at the moment is the unstable position in the military, and he urgently needs to stabilize the situation in the military and further advance preparations for war in the Taiwan Strait.”

Xin Ning contributed to this report.