Purge after Purge - The Xi Jinping Way

Second, the facade of purging military personnel indicates the severe discontent among the forces in CCP’s military. Analysts have underlined China’s aggressive stand as one that could be a primary reason for such purges where a disagreement could have led to the ouster of the certain military officials, including the former Defence Minister Li Shangfu.

By purging high-ranking officials under corruption cases, the Party cadre have been signalled to either to toe the Xi Jinping line or face the fury of an anti-corruption purge. Initiated as a pretext to curb the long-standing menace of corruption in China, such purges have gone on to become a tool of political annihilation for those who oppose the Party’s leadership. 

These means have not only solidified Xi’s position instead of eradicating the actual root of corrupt practices but has also presented the Party’s General Secretary with the means to supress any form of opposition that may come his way. 

The plague of Corruption in China’s political system

Corruption in Chinese society is not a new contagion. The CCP leadership has throughout its existence in the modern era have acknowledged the menace of corruption within both the party and the government. This acceptance has however not borne much fruit in terms of tangible results such as reduction in corruption cases. 

During the era of Mao Zedong and later Deng Xiaoping, corrupt practices were strictly prohibited, yet, Xi Jinping’s era of governance has seen a different form of anti-corruption campaign, unlike the ones imposed by his predecessors. Under the Xi era, the anti-corruption campaign has taken a personalistic turn in order to prosecute and punish opponents. 

Xi’s continuous and historic tenure as the paramount leader of China has been marked by a series of aggressive political purges that have not only consolidated his power but also shaped his legacy into that of a brutal dictator. High-profile figures such as Bo Xilai, Zhou Yongkang, and Sun Zhengcai were not only accused of corruption but were also prominent political opponents of Xi. 

Their removal dismantled influential factions within the party that posed significant challenges to the supremo’s authority. This extensive purging has allowed Xi to place loyalists in key positions and thereby tightening his grip over the Party-State of China.

However, these punishments in recent years have moved from political opponents to military opponents. In the past year alone, China has ousted more than a dozen top military commanders, including former defence minister Li Shangfu, and leaders of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Rocket Force. Furthermore, prominent military leaders within the PLA including Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong, fell from grace under corruption charges during Xi’s reign of terror. 

These moves were even though under the disguise of anti-corruption campaigns, designed to ensure that the military remained unwaveringly loyal to Xi and refrain from questioning his decisions. By reshuffling the military leadership and promoting those aligned with his vision, the Party General Secretary has ensured the PLA’s support which is also paramount for maintaining his rule.

A means to consolidate Xi’s power

These tactics have therefore led to the perpetual absence of an accountable force due to lack of any form of opposition even within the Party. Many analysts from both within and abroad have deemed such repressive tactics, including the anti-corruption campaign as one that is leading to misguided judgements for the overall development of the Chinese state. 

If such an affair is to continue of prioritizing political gains instead of focusing on reducing the ills of corruption within the Party as well as the country, the party would certainly be heading for an unfathomable calamity. 

Furthermore, above such suppressive tactics, Xi Jinping has also consolidated his power in various other ways. His successful abolition of presidential term limits in 2018 effectively allows him to rule indefinitely, a move that has drawn widespread comparisons to dictators. While these actions have solidified his control over both the Party and the State, they also raise serious concerns about the future of governance, human rights, and political stability in the China. 

Thus, Xi’s ongoing brutal leadership methods indicate a significant departure from the longstanding principle of collective leadership that the Party adhered to for decades, thereby solidifying his reputation as a ruthless authoritarian leader. 

With the anti-corruption programs of Xi Jinping’s era at a full rampage, very few in the country believe that such cases can bring about a change in the social being of party officials. Therefore, the sense of an actual change even if as a consequence of political purges, leaves little room for relief among the common Chinese who have been facing the menace of corruption spread across the administrative pillars of the country. 

Hence, to read these politically driven purges anything more than political that seek to safeguard Xi’s position of power, would be a mistake that would only satisfy the CCP’s leadership and drive the country’s economic growth in the hands of loyal political appointees.