Xi Jinping "Publicly Humiliates" Miao Hua, Signaling "Extreme Anger"

On October 29, 2024, the CCP’s training program for provincial and ministerial-level cadres began at the Central Party School, where Miao Hua appeared on CCTV with a seemingly furrowed brow. (Video screenshot)

[People News] On Thursday, November 28, Beijing announced that Central Military Commission (CMC) member and Director of the Political Work Department, General Miao Hua, is under investigation for "serious disciplinary violations." Observers of Chinese politics in the United States believe that the public announcement of Miao Hua's investigation is highly unusual. It reflects CCP leader Xi Jinping's intense anger and his deep distrust of senior military leadership.

According to a report by Voice of America, China's Ministry of National Defense issued a brief statement without revealing any details, stating: "Miao Hua, Central Military Commission member and Director of the Political Work Department, is suspected of serious disciplinary violations. Following deliberations by the Party Central Committee, it has been decided to suspend Miao Hua from his duties for investigation."

Public Announcement of Miao Hua’s Investigation "Unusual"

Sheena Chestnut Greitens, an associate professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, emphasized that this incident is highly significant.

“Miao Hua is a member of the Central Military Commission (CMC), which places him higher than the Defense Minister. He leads the department responsible for political work, and he comes from the Chinese Navy (even though the PLA is still dominated by the Army). All these important details make his suspension a big deal,” she wrote.

Dennis Wilder, a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues, also noted the extraordinary nature of Miao Hua’s investigation.

“What’s unusual is that Xi Jinping personally promoted Miao Hua to military leadership a decade ago. He knew him from his time in Fujian Province and elevated him rapidly, as though in a helicopter, to a high position,” Wilder wrote. “Publicly humiliating him like this, rather than quietly retiring him, shows that Xi Jinping must be extremely angry with the military.”

Edward Wong, a diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times, highlighted the difference in handling between this case and last year’s investigation of former Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

“Shortly after Qin Gang began serving as China’s ambassador to the U.S., Xi Jinping also elevated him swiftly from ambassador to Foreign Minister,” Wong wrote. “Then, in the summer of 2023, Xi removed him, reportedly due to a sex scandal and allegations of illegitimate children. But that case was handled far more discreetly compared to Miao Hua’s.”

Senior Military Officials Under Investigation: Corruption or Disobedience?

Since last year, Beijing has intensified its crackdown on alleged corruption within the military. In June this year, former Defense Ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe were expelled from the CCP and stripped of their military ranks. Both were accused of taking bribes, receiving vast sums of money, and facilitating personnel appointments, which constituted severe violations of political discipline.

Wen-Ti Sung, a political scholar at the Australian National University, commented: “Doing political work in the PLA has become a dangerous career path, especially in an era where the Party increasingly seeks to control everything.”

Although Beijing has not disclosed any details about the investigation into Miao Hua, "serious disciplinary violations" is generally interpreted as referring to corruption.

However, Joel Wuthnow, a senior research fellow at the National Defense University, suggested that corruption might not be the only reason.

“One has to wonder: how much of this is truly about financial corruption, and how much is about concerns over the growing unchecked power within the military? Remember Lin Biao?” he wrote.

On Wednesday, November 27, the Financial Times reported that Defense Minister Dong Jun is also under investigation for corruption. However, Chinese Ministry of Defense spokesperson Wu Qian denied this at a press conference on Thursday, calling the report "pure fabrication."

Nevertheless, observers remain skeptical about Dong Jun’s prospects. Andrew S. Erickson, a professor of strategy at the U.S. Naval War College, humorously remarked:

“This Thanksgiving, I reflect with gratitude on many blessings, chief among them being that I am not part of Admiral Miao Hua’s network or on his holiday card list.

For Admiral Dong Jun or anyone else, that’s definitely not a good place to be. When investigations like this become public, conviction is a foregone conclusion—it’s clear they’re all going down.”

Military Corruption: Will Xi Jinping Be Too Distracted to Focus on Taiwan?

Neil Thomas, an expert at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI), noted that despite being sidelined for several months last year, Li Shangfu retained his position as Defense Minister for a time. However, Thomas suggested that the downfall of a series of CCP military officers might actually be positive news for Taiwan.

“Xi Jinping continues to face severe corruption problems within the military,” he wrote. “If Xi doesn’t trust his military leadership, he is unlikely to launch a complex military operation, such as an invasion of Taiwan.”