China’s President Xi Jinping replaced two top commanders of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) earlier this week.
The shake-up in the PLARF, which manages China’s land-based nuclear arsenal, made waves for a couple of reasons:
- 🕵️ The commanders were removed without explanation and haven’t been seen publicly in weeks, and
- 🆕 For the first time in decades, the new leaders – one from the navy, the other from the air force – have never served in the PLARF.
Intrigue’s take: Shake-ups like this usually come down to one of two things: corruption or disloyalty. In this case, there’s speculation it could be both.
Stay on top of your world from inside your inbox.
Subscribe for free today and receive way much more insights.
Trusted by 127,000+ subscribers
No spam. No noise. Unsubscribe any time.
China is undertaking a rapid expansion and modernisation of its nuclear arsenal, which means plenty of cash has been flowing through the PLARF.
But for Xi, who undertook a widespread purge of the military after taking office in 2012, political disloyalty might be the bigger concern.
Also worth noting:
- Authorities said last week they were investigating allegations of military personnel “forming cliques and colluding in private” [link in Mandarin, but most web browsers can translate].
- China currently has around 400 nuclear warheads, with estimates this number could reach 1,500 by 2035. The US currently has around 3,700 warheads. Russia has around 4,500.
