Shocking news of the investigation into Miao Hua, a close aide of the leader of the Chinese Communist Party and a Vice Admiral of the People’s Liberation Army Navy as well as a member of the Central Military Commission, has left foreign experts discussing the “rumors” that have now become reality, leading to an internal challenge to Xi Jinping in eliminating his loyalists within the party.
On Thursday, November 28th, Miao Hua, a member of the Central Military Commission and the Director of the Political Work Department, was suspended from his duties on allegations of “serious disciplinary violations.” Following the downfall of former Defense Minister Li Shangfu, Miao Hua became the second member of the 20th Central Military Commission to be investigated for “serious disciplinary violations.”
The Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson announced on Thursday at a routine press conference the suspension of Miao Hua pending investigation into the allegations. A day earlier on the 27th, Western media outlets reported, citing sources, that the newly appointed Defense Minister and Vice Admiral Dong Jun was also under investigation by the Chinese authorities on charges of corruption.
Miao Hua holds a higher position than Dong Jun, and the Defense Ministry spokesperson on Thursday implied that Dong Jun was not in trouble.
Internal power struggles within the Chinese Communist military are escalating. Just two years into the 20th Central Military Commission’s term, two out of the four members have been toppled.
In June of this year, the Chinese Communist Party announced the expulsion from the party on corruption charges of two former Defense Ministers, Li Shangfu and Wei Feng, originally announced as being suspended pending anti-corruption investigations.
Ray Wang, a Washington-based China-foreign analyst and diplomatic affairs analyst, posted on social media: “Rumors of Miao Hua being under investigation were circulating weeks ago. Now that it’s confirmed, this is not mere speculation.”
Frequent and public purges of high-ranking military officials in any country can lead to a loss of combat capability and international reputation. China under Communist rule is no exception.
During Xi Jinping’s first term as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, he became renowned for his anti-corruption campaign which led to the downfall of many political opponents and the sanctioning of thousands of party officials.
For top officials within the Chinese Communist Party, they hold high positions in the political sphere, enjoying a wide array of official and unofficial privileges. However, they can also become casualties of internal power struggles.
Miao Hua’s background lies in the political department of the military and previously served as Political Commissar of the Chinese Navy. Prior to Xi Jinping’s rise to power in 2012, Miao Hua had already held a high rank within the military.
Alfred Wu, an Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore, told the Associated Press that Miao Hua’s purge highlights the severity of corruption and ideological degradation within the Chinese Communist military, possibly impacting military officers closely associated with Xi Jinping and exacerbating elite discontent within the party regarding leadership decisions and personnel selections.
Sheena Greitens, a research fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, tweeted, “With two consecutive (Directors of the Political Work Department of the PLA General Political Department) falling from grace, political work has become a high-risk career path, especially in an era where the party seeks greater control.”
The Director of the Political Work Department of the PLA is responsible for instilling loyalty to the Party within the military, ensuring allegiance to the Party’s leadership. With Xi Jinping tightening his grip on the military, this role has become increasingly crucial and sensitive.
Dennis Wilder, a former senior official at the Central Intelligence Agency, tweeted that ten years ago, Miao Hua was carefully selected by Xi Jinping to be a high-ranking leader within the Chinese military. The two had known each other since their time in Fujian province and Xi Jinping swiftly promoted Miao Hua to senior positions.
“Public humiliation rather than a quiet exit for him (referring to Miao Hua) indicates Xi must be very angry at the Chinese military,” he wrote.
Currently, Miao Hua’s role as a member of the Central Military Commission is still listed on the Chinese Defense Ministry’s website, and reports about him have not been removed.
Before ascending as a member of the Central Military Commission, Miao Hua served as the Political Commissar of the Chinese Navy from 2014 to 2017. During the late 1990s while working in southeastern provinces, he had dealings with Xi Jinping, who was then serving as the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Committee in Fujian.
Sheena Greitens, a Research Fellow at the Atlantic Council, stated that given Miao Hua’s status—being a Central Military Commission member (ranking higher than the Defense Ministry), in charge of the Political Work Department, and hailing from the Navy (even though the Chinese military is predominantly army-based), “all of these key details signify that his suspension is a significant event.”
Dylan Loh Ming Hui, an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at Nanyang Technological University, told Bloomberg that the investigation into Miao Hua implies deeper and more complex systematic issues within the Chinese military, suggesting that even Xi Jinping, despite his centralized power, is facing challenges in rooting out his confidants.
Bloomberg noted that the downfall of Miao Hua and Li Shangfu has raised doubts regarding the selection process of military officials by Xi Jinping. While Xi Jinping conducts a series of naval exercises around Taiwan and intensifies pressure on the self-governing island, the ongoing purges of senior officials within the Chinese Communist Party have also left an impression of internal turmoil.
Previous reports by Dajiyuan indicated that rumors surrounding Miao Hua’s troubles had surfaced as early as February. These rumors emerged amidst reports of internal turmoil within the Central Military Commission, with factions allegedly forming between the Shanxi Gang led by Deputy Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia and the Fujian Gang led by another Deputy Chairman of the Central Military Commission, He Weidong. He Weidong and Miao Hua were both reportedly not from Fujian but hailed from generals of the former 31st Group Army stationed in Fujian, thus considered part of Xi’s Fujian Gang.
The reports stated that bizarre occurrences within the Chinese political scene arose following the Third Plenum of the Communist Party in mid-July this year, suggesting that Xi’s power was being diminished, especially in terms of military authority, with rumors of the Old Guard within the party, led by Zhang Youxia, supposedly backed by senior party elders, coming into prominence.