Something is happening in the Chinese military leadership. Suspected Deputy Commander of Rocket Forces suicide

Several Asian information sources are reporting possible profound changes in the leadership of the Chinese armed forces.

The Taipei Times reports from Taiwan that Xi undertook a tour of the PLA's Eastern Theater command. Xi's visit earlier this month sought to tighten the Communist Party of China's (CPC) direct control over the PLA.

Eastern Theater Command is important as it has to deal with the militaries of Taiwan, Japan and the United States, where Beijing is not ruling out an attack on Taiwan in an attempt to further "reunification" with the island nation across the Taiwan Strait.

Chinese journalist Jennifer Zeng, has alluded in a series of tweets and on her video channel that senior officers of the PLA's rocket and space forces are in trouble over allegations of corruption, resulting in the demoralization of the forces. He linked it to Xi's growing insecurity and perceived threats from the PLA after the failed coup in Moscow.

Jennifer says the purge among senior officers will likely impact Xi's plans for a possible invasion of Taiwan.

China's missile forces are critical to Beijing's nuclear deterrent and any rumblings within them would obviously be of grave national and international concern.

Dr. Sriparna Pathak, associate professor of China studies and director of the Center for Northeast Asian Studies at OP Jindal Global University, writes that Wu Guoua, the deputy commander of the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF), reportedly died by suicide on June 6, 2023. The death, which occurred on the same day that President Xi was touring the Eastern Theater Command, was attributed to a brain hemorrhage, but other sources speak of suicide by hanging.

However, it's not just Wu Guoua. There is also talk of the sudden, but not equally tragic, dismissal of the commander of the missile force himself, Li Yuchao . In this case, the cause of the sudden departure would be the fact that the son is studying in the USA, with the possibility of contacts with American agents.

A whole group of senior officers are reportedly facing a purge as many have gone missing or not been seen in public. Sources say the disappearances have been linked to the investigation and purging of corruption, but are in fact rooted in fears of an insurgency within the missile force. There is also talk

In addition to the problems with the missile force, there have been ample reports of China's new Foreign Minister Qin Gang, which may signal further dissonance in the Chinese establishment. Qin missed the 2023 ASEAN foreign ministers meeting last week, which was attended by former foreign minister Wang Yi, now director of the CPC Foreign Affairs Commission Office.

Analysts say there has so far been no convincing response from the Chinese establishment to explain Foreign Minister Qin's public absence since June 25.

Rumors say Qin was being punished due to his alleged relationship with Phoenix TV television personality Fu Xiaotian, with whom he apparently has a son. Fu has also not been heard from since April 10, after she boarded a Gulfstream jet in Los Angeles, which was apparently flying to Beijing.

There is also a theory that Qin has had a health problem, which could be Covid, a heart attack or a stroke. But if that were the case, her recovery photos would have officially appeared.

So something has moved in China too, politically, even if it is not clear exactly what. Externally, the country always seems monolithic, but, in reality, something is moving deep down there too.

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The article Something is happening in the top Chinese military. Suspected suicide of the deputy commander of the missile forces comes from Scenari Economici .

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This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/qualcosa-sta-succedendo-nei-vertici-militari-cinesi-sospetto-suicidio-del-vicecomandante-delle-forze-missilistiche/ on Fri, 21 Jul 2023 06:00:32 +0000.