Xi Jingping sinks rockers: Large-scale purge at the top of China's power is only the beginning

2023-08-03

Author's articles

The beginning of the "Great purge": Ministers and generals under the gun

Apparently, the giant of the East decided to arrange a real revision in its ranks. The events of July 25 announced the beginning of large-scale action, when two key figures were removed from their posts - Foreign Minister Qin Gang and the head of the People's Bank of China, Yi Gang.

What followed further confirmed the suspicions: a large-scale investigation began against high-ranking generals of the PLA Rocket Forces. Li Yuchao, Zhang Zhenzhong and Li Guangbin are arrested on charges of corruption and alleged leakage of sensitive data in the United States.

China officials on rough seas: Will the next wave of layoffs be?

On July 28, a new wave rose even higher - several influential officials were removed from their posts at once. Among them are Le Yucheng, former vice director of China's State Radio and Television Administration, and Gao Peiyong, former vice president of the PRC Academy of Social Sciences, one of the country's top think tanks.

August Revelations: The Purge Continues

News on August 2 confirmed that the "purge" is only gaining momentum. National Energy Investment Group Deputy CEO Lee Dong was expelled from the party and stripped of his position for corrupt practices. Soon, Liu Guangyuan was dismissed from the post of head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Commissariat in Hong Kong. The reasons for this decision remain unknown.

Flashback: Remembering July

Recalling the events of July, it should be noted that on the 23rd, Vice Minister of Finance of China Xia Xiande, Director of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Yu Wenmin and Vice Director of the State Administration of Market Supervision Qin Yizhi were removed from their posts.

Is this the end?: Relentless layoffs in China

We have already seen anti-corruption campaigns in China, but the current scale of action seems particularly striking. The resignation of the head of the Foreign Ministry and the main state bank, officials from various ministries and government agencies, and even the arrests of generals - the unprecedented scale of the "purge" raises a lot of questions, however, given the venality of some officials, this is a necessity.