Purge of top Chinese general may accelerate war on Taiwan

The Chinese Defense Ministry announced on January 24 that Gen. Zhang Youxia, second-in-command of the People’s Liberation Army and lifelong personal friend of General Secretary Xi Jinping, was under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law.” Chief of Joint Staff Gen. Liu Zhenli is also facing criminal charges. The ruling Chinese Communist Party’s official statement asserts that the two “gravely fostered political and corruption problems that weakened the party’s absolute leadership over the military” and “caused immense harm” to China’s combat readiness. But some analysts believe Zhang was removed because he resisted Xi’s plans for an imminent attack on Taiwan. “Zhang has disagreed with Xi on acting on Taiwan,” said Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center. “He is much more conservative from the military point of view. With the purge of him and his people, there is much less resistance in the system.” Whether or not these purges factor in, the Trumpet maintains that the Chinese Communist Party will soon seize Taiwan.