- The incumbent president of China, Xi Jinping, has been consolidating his exalted position in the last decade plus years, with a ruthless streak common to every ambitious leader who does not wish to encounter any opposition/challenges vis-à-vis a smooth reign at the helm. It’s also a fact that none of the leaders, including Jinping, could remain at the top of the saddle without ensuring a firm grip on governance/administration. For this to fructify, a leader would have to be at the top of his/her shrewdness, aligned with the trustworthiness of the supporters chosen to ensure that control remains tightly in his/her hands. Any whiff of uprising/disobedience/insubordination will not be allowed to fester for too long. This is where ruthlessness comes to the fore.
PC: NDTV
- Moreso, in a country where democracy is a misnomer, what with totalitarian/autocratic/dictatorial characteristic traits ruling the roost, like China. As we are aware, China is a single-party governing country with the authority solely bestowed on the supreme leader heading the administration. Now, any signs of threat to the reign would invite severe action, as is happening in China presently. As such, indulging in the purging of top Chinese generals of late could reflect the leader’s paranoia or prep for going aggressive. And India must be on guard, as previous experience suggests. In a big shakeup, China’s top general and vice-chairman of its Central Military Commission (CMC), Zhang Youxia, was purged recently, along with the head of the PLA’s joint operations.
PC: Fox News
- True, Xi Jinping’s 14-year tenure at the helm of the Chinese party-state has seen wide-ranging purges, netting an estimated 200,000 officials. But the vice-chairman’s ouster still raises eyebrows. First, the removal means that CMC is effectively down to two members – Xi himself, as chairman, and Zhang Shengmin, PLA’s anti-corruption tsar. Second, the extensive purges in the PLA have created a dearth of top-ranked battle-experienced officers. Note that Zhang was a veteran of China’s 1979 border conflict with Vietnam. Third, Zhang was also seen as one of Xi’s closest allies. His purge means no one is safe within the Chinese system. Fourth, Xi now has total control over CMC and can mold the PLA without opposition. Did someone say consolidation? Of course.
PC: The Indian Express
- However, the relationship between the party and the PLA has often been complicated due to internal power struggles. Innumerable previous such power struggles have occurred, highlighting the same. Xi, since 2012, has been obsessed with stamping out internal dissent. That’s why he has practically rewritten the party constitution and given himself a convention-breaking third term at the helm. But the more Xi tries to control the cloistered system, the more cracks appear. The purges could be a sign of paranoia. Or they could be a sign of a system ready to blow – Zhang is rumoured to have leaked Chinese nuclear secrets to the Americans. What does it entail for India, though? Expect aggressive posture on the borders to whip up domestic emotions.
