BEIJING: Lower-ranking officers have emerged in some of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) most senior roles without Beijing publicly announcing them, with analysts saying the unusual move suggests President Xi Jinping is far from rebuilding the military’s top brass amid a sweeping anti-corruption purge.They add that the reliance on acting or unconfirmed leaders also points to a narrower pool of trusted officers and uncertainty over who will ultimately survive the transition, even as elevating experienced insiders helps maintain day-to-day continuity, with newly promoted full generals taking charge of key commands.“The PLA is restoring day-to-day command and organisational continuity faster than Xi Jinping is rebuilding confidence in the officers now filling senior roles,” Nathan Attrill, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), told CNA.“Xi is ensuring that key organisations remain operational by elevating deputies and other senior officers, but he remains cautious about granting many of them permanent appointments, full rank and the institutional authority that comes with formal confirmation.”
The latest round of reshuffling follows several years of sweeping anti-corruption purges that have reached the PLA’s highest ranks.In January, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli - respectively vice-chairman and Joint Staff Department chief of China’s highest military leadership body, the Central Military Commission (CMC) - were placed under investigation.An editorial by the PLA Daily, the Chinese military’s official newspaper, subsequently described their cases as part of the armed forces’ anti-corruption campaign.
