Reports Suggest General Han Weiguo Has Been Arrested, Another Blow to Xi Jinping's Inner Circle

Photo: Tiananmen Square under heavy clouds. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

[People News] The sweeping purge within the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) military is ongoing. On December 28, Chinese affairs expert and Vice Chairman of Citizen Power, Han Lianchao, posted on the platform X, citing insider rumors that Han Weiguo, former commander of the PLA Ground Forces, is in trouble. The post included a photo with the following text: "Yesterday afternoon, immediately after the conclusion of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) seasonal meeting, Han Weiguo, former Army Commander (General) and current Deputy Director of the CPPCC Proposal Committee, was taken away on the spot, witnessed by committee members present at the scene." The same day, another source also reported similar news, claiming the information came from online sources.

A search of the CPPCC website shows that Han Weiguo is still listed among the members of the Proposal Committee. The latest activity listed under the "Work Updates" section is from October 14, when the Proposal Committee visited the National Development and Reform Commission to discuss key proposals. Han Weiguo participated in this visit. On December 27, the CPPCC Economic Committee held a fourth-quarter study and discussion session, but it was not a meeting of the Proposal Committee.

The accuracy of the reports about Han Weiguo's arrest remains unconfirmed. However, the recent cascade of incidents involving high-ranking PLA officers appears to be reaching a climax, with many so-called "rumors" proving to be precise predictions, often far ahead of official confirmation.

Han Weiguo was considered a member of Xi Jinping’s military inner circle before his retirement. If his arrest is confirmed, it may signal that Xi Jinping is losing control over the military, with internal strife within the armed forces becoming increasingly severe.

Public records show that Han Weiguo served as the Chief of Staff of the 273rd Regiment, 91st Division, 31st Army in 1983. After earning a master’s degree in joint operational command from the PLA National Defense University in 1999, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the 31st Army in 2005. He was promoted to Major General in July 2006 and took command of the 12th Group Army under the Nanjing Military Region in April 2008. In December 2013, Han was appointed Deputy Commander of the Beijing Military Region, receiving his Lieutenant General rank in July 2015. In February 2016, he became the first Commander of the newly formed Central Theater Command. After a year and a half, he was reassigned as Commander of the PLA Ground Forces. Han retired in June 2021 at the age of 65 and became Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress in August. In March 2023, he was appointed as a Standing Committee member of the 14th CPPCC and Deputy Director of the Proposal Committee.

Han Weiguo’s military career is closely tied to the 31st Army and the Nanjing Military Region, bearing distinct hallmarks of Xi Jinping’s faction. Xi greatly trusted and valued Han, transferring him to the Beijing Military Region as Deputy Commander at the end of 2013 to counter the influence of Xu Caihou’s confidant Zhang Shibo, who had been the Beijing Military Region’s Commander. Zhang was later reassigned to head the PLA National Defense University, and Han’s placement aimed to eliminate Xu Caihou’s lingering influence.

In February 2016, Han was promoted to Commander of the Central Theater Command, which is responsible for safeguarding Beijing and surrounding areas. He was the only officer among the five theater commanders to be promoted directly from a deputy position, underscoring his importance within Xi’s military leadership.

Han Weiguo is known for aligning closely with Xi Jinping’s preferences. Based on his statements, he is a hawkish figure who once remarked that soldiers only have two states: “fighting wars and preparing for war.” He also excelled in flattery and self-promotion. During the 2016 "Two Sessions," Han told reporters: "On February 1, the Central Military Commission held a ceremony at the Bayi Building to establish the theater commands. I received the Central Theater Command’s flag from Chairman Xi, feeling extremely excited, filled with the passion and motivation to lead troops into battle and win wars." "Following Chairman Xi’s and the military leadership’s intentions to plan and command operations, we must train soldiers exactly as we intend to fight wars. Solid combat skills are a critical part of operational capability, and leading troops means leading soldiers capable of defeating the enemy."

On July 28, 2017, Han Weiguo was promoted to the rank of General. It took him only two years to move from Lieutenant General to General, and he served as a theater-level commander for only a year and a half, breaking two conventions. This underscores Xi Jinping’s high regard for him. On July 30 of that year, Han served as the chief commander of the “90th Anniversary of the PLA” military parade at the Zhurihe base in Inner Mongolia, in his capacity as Commander of the Central Theater Command. This was the first-ever field parade in the history of the PLA. The parade’s backdrop prominently featured a landmark resembling Taiwan’s Presidential Office Building, signaling Xi Jinping’s ambitions to unify Taiwan militarily, with Han actively echoing this stance. In October 2020, during the 70th anniversary of the Korean War (referred to in China as the “War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea”), Han publicly praised the “Chosin Reservoir Spirit,” delivering rhetoric filled with flattery for Xi and strong anti-American sentiment.

Now, more than three years after his retirement, Han has reportedly been taken by the Military Discipline Inspection Commission, indicating the intensity of the current military power struggles. Several high-ranking figures from the 31st Army, 12th Army, and related units have encountered trouble recently, including Miao Hua, Director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission; Lin Xiangyang, Commander of the Eastern Theater Command; and Han Weiguo himself. During his time as Chief of Staff of the 31st Army, Han worked closely with Miao Hua, who served as Director of the 31st Army’s Political Department. The two also collaborated as Commander and Political Commissar of the 12th Army. In recent times, Xi Jinping’s loyalists from the 31st and 12th Armies, including Qin Shuitong, Yuan Huazhi, Wang Chunning, Lin Xiangyang, and Han Weiguo, have faced increasing scrutiny and negative rumors, with many likely to fall.

The Central Theater Command was established in 2016, comprising parts of the former Beijing Military Region (excluding Inner Mongolia), Henan Province (previously part of the Jinan Military Region), Shaanxi Province (formerly under the Lanzhou Military Region), and Hubei Province (formerly under the Guangzhou Military Region). It includes forces from the army, navy, air force, and other branches. The Command’s headquarters is in Beijing, with the Army headquarters in Shijiazhuang. Its primary mission is to defend the capital and support other theater commands in operations.

Han Weiguo was the first commander of the Central Theater Command, serving from January 2016 to August 2017. Subsequent commanders included Yi Xiaoguang, Lin Xiangyang, Wu Yanan, Huang Ming, and Wang Qiang. Yi Xiaoguang held the position for four years, but since August 2021, the Command has seen four changes in leadership within three years. Reports now suggest that of the six commanders in its history, both Han Weiguo and Lin Xiangyang are under investigation, highlighting the Central Theater Command as a key arena for military power struggles.

Recently, articles critical of Xi Jinping’s authority as Chairman of the Central Military Commission have appeared in military publications. For example, on December 1, the 83rd Group Army, under the Central Theater Command, published a post on its official WeChat account about training sessions for senior officers to study the “Central Military Commission’s political work directives.” Notably, the report avoided any mention of “Chairman Xi.” Photos accompanying the article showed a banner with 16 large characters emphasizing “Collective Leadership, Democratic Centralism, Individual Deliberation, and Decision by Meeting.” This was widely interpreted as a thinly veiled anti-Xi study session.

According to Australian-based legal scholar Yuan Hongbing, an incident occurred in late August 2024 within the Central Theater Command. A logistics officer surnamed Liu, a colonel, reportedly shot two investigators from the Military Discipline Inspection Commission with his service weapon before turning the gun on himself. This suggests that the power struggle within the Central Theater Command is not only escalating but also extending downward and becoming increasingly violent.

In May of this year, during Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s inauguration, the CCP held a Pacific Rim military exercise. The Central Theater Command engaged in political stability operations, including mobilizing troops in Hebei Province to blow bugles in the middle of a heavy rainstorm. Dissatisfied soldiers reportedly circulated jokes such as, “Flood Zhongnanhai, Hang Xi Jinping.”

Whether Han Weiguo has truly been detained remains uncertain. However, widespread reports of instability in Xi Jinping’s control over the military likely stem from more than mere rumors. 

(Originally published by People News)