Over the past two years, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been subject to waves of purges of its senior leadership, highlighting systemic issues within the military and marking a renewed front in President Xi’s anti-corruption drive. In late 2012, Xi launched a widespread anti-corruption campaign aimed at rooting out corruption and consolidating loyalty by targeting both high-ranking officials and the rank-and-file, known as hunting “Tigers” and “Flies.”. The fact that many of the PLA high-ranking officials purged in this most recent round are considered Xi loyalists indicates that Xi is inherently distrustful of his military and likely views corruption as a systemic issue. Recent events have highlighted potential domestic challenges, systemic and political, that could impact the PRC’s ability to project military power and hinder its goal of military modernization.
Implications of Xi’s PLA Tiger Hunt (Soufan Center)
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