China purges top army brass after US intel revealed they'd filled missiles with WATER instead of fuel and had a huge silo bunker fitted with the wrong lids (preventing launches) due to military corruption
- The communist country's top lawmakers ousted nine senior military officers from the national legislative body on Friday
- Many of these were from the Rocket Force - a key arm of the Chinese army overseeing tactical and nuclear missiles
The communist country's top lawmakers ousted nine senior military officers from the national legislative body on Friday, state media reported, a step that typically precedes further punishment.
Many of those removed were from the Rocket Force - a key arm of the Chinese army overseeing tactical and nuclear missiles.
Now, American intelligence claims military corruption led to the mistakes, which also included fields of silos in Western China fitted with lids that stopped the missiles from launching.
The purges are a setback for Xi who has pumped billions into buying and developing equipment as part of his modernizing efforts to build a 'world-class' military by 2050.
China's recent 'purge' of several top Army officials came after they'd filled missiles with water instead of fuel, according to United States intelligence. Pictured: Chinese ruler Xi Jingping
In accordance with those plans, Beijing's outsized defense budget has grown at a faster pace than the economy for some years.
The recent downfall of generals and military equipment suppliers, however, has punctured some of this aura, and raised questions over whether there has been adequate oversight over the massive military investments as China vies with the United States.
Since Xi took power in 2012, he has embarked on a wide-ranging anti-corruption crackdown among Communist Party and government officials, with the army being one of its main targets.
The nine generals removed from the legislature hailed from several military divisions; three were former commanders or vice commanders of the Rocket Force; one a former Air Force chief and one a Navy commander responsible for the South China Sea. Four officers were responsible for equipment.
Wei Fenghe, a former defense minister who used to head the Rocket Force, has also vanished.
When asked about his whereabouts, a defense ministry spokesman said in August that the military has zero tolerance for corruption.
His successor, Li Shangfu, was abruptly removed as defense minister in October without explanation after also disappearing for months before returning, only to be a victim of the purge himself.
Shangfu had previously headed the equipment department. One of his then-deputies was removed from parliament on Friday.
Wei Fenghe, a former defense minister who used to head the Rocket Force, is one of the purged officials
Fenghe's successor, Li Shangfu, was abruptly removed as defense minister in October without explanation after also disappearing for months before returning, only to be a victim of the purge himself
On the same day, Dong Jun, a Chinese ex-Navy chief, with a South China Sea background, was named Li's replacement as defense minister.
The corruption in the Chinese military is apparently rooted so deep that it will change Xi's plans to take major military action in the near future, Bloomberg reported.
The Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the longer run, analysts expect the chronic problem of corruption to persist in the Chinese military because some root causes - including low pay for officers and opacity in military expenditure - have not been addressed.
The communist country's top lawmakers ousted nine senior military officers from the national legislative body on Friday, state media reported, a step that typically precedes further punishment.
Xi's administration has struggled to sustain an economic rebound since rapidly dumping its onerous zero-Covid policy a year ago.
Record youth unemployment and a persistent debt crisis in the crucial property sector have also hemmed in China's growth.
Official figures released on Sunday showed a nationwide decline in factory activity deepened in December, the third straight month of contraction.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12941641/China-purges-army-brass-intel-revealed-theyd-filled-missiles-WATER-instead-fuel-huge-silo-bunker-wrong-lids-military-corruption.html
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