Chinese President Xi Jinping conducted an inspection of a brigade of the military’s strategic missile force that had undergone significant purges of officials due to corruption in recent years, as reported by media on Saturday, October 19, 2024.
President Xi visited the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Rocket Force in Hefei on Thursday, October 17, 2024, as reported by the state-run Xinhua news agency.
During the visit, he emphasized the importance of strengthening the deterrence and combat capabilities of the strategic missile troops and fulfilling the tasks assigned by the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the people.
The Rocket Force was established in 2015 as part of President Xi’s military reform and has been the focus of recent anti-corruption efforts within the military.
President Xi, who serves as the head of the CPC, the Presidency, and the Central Military Commission (CMC), paid a significant visit to the Rocket Force, which operates China’s most powerful long and short-range missiles. The military arm has faced allegations of corruption at its highest levels in recent years, including the use of substandard fuel for missiles.
Several officers, including former Defence Minister Gen Li Shangfu, were dismissed on corruption charges. Gen Li Yuchao, who succeeded Gen Li Shangfu as the commander, was also removed due to graft allegations.
In July of this year, an anti-corruption investigation was launched against Gen Sun Jinming, the former head of the Rocket Force. Multiple senior military officials associated with the Rocket Force have faced corruption probes in the past year.
Former Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe, who previously led the Rocket Force and later served as the defence minister, was recently expelled from the party over corruption allegations.
Recently, the Rocket Force made headlines for successfully launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a dummy warhead into the Pacific Ocean. The test was part of the annual training plan and aimed to assess weapon performance and military training effectiveness.
The missile test marked China’s first known atmospheric test of an ICBM over the high seas in 44 years. The Defence Ministry confirmed that the missile landed in the expected sea areas and that relevant countries were notified in advance.
Published on October 19, 2024 at 03:56 pm IST
