Tracking Another Round of Missing PLA Generals: A Major Storm Hits the Military (Part 2)

The image shows Chinese military delegates departing after the National People's Congress session on March 5, 2023.

[People News] Today, we continue to review more missing PLA generals.

Minister of Training and Management Department of the Central Military Commission, Wang Peng

Former Chinese mainland media person Zhao Lanjian revealed a new list of people being purged on March 26, which included Wang Peng, the Minister of the Central Military Commission's Training Management Department. Many people may not be familiar with Wang Peng, as he hasn't been widely reported in party or military media. Wang Peng, born in 1964, previously served as the brigade commander of the 34th Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the 12th Army Group, deputy chief of staff of the Eastern Theater Army, and the commander of the Blue Army Brigade in the Nanjing Military Region. He was known for his fierce combat style and was nicknamed "the Wild Wolf in the Army." He was promoted to the position of Minister of the CMC Training Management Department in late 2021, where he directly implemented Xi Jinping's "combat-oriented training" orders.

Commander of the 73rd Army Group, Ding Laifu

Ding Laifu, born in 1968, was appointed as the chief of staff of the 16th Army Group in 2016. In 2017, he became the chief of staff of the 79th Army Group and was promoted to the rank of major general. In 2020, he was promoted to the commander of the 72nd Army Group, and in 2022, he was reassigned to the commander of the 73rd Army Group. Ding is considered one of Xi Jinping's trusted subordinates.

The 31st Army, which is the predecessor of the 73rd Army, became the 73rd Army after the military reforms of 2016. It is a core force within Xi Jinping’s military system. Many key figures, including Miao Hua, He Weidong, Wang Houbin, Zhao Keshishi, and Han Weiguo, came from the 31st Army. Ding Laifu was appointed as the commander of the 73rd Army, showing the high level of trust Xi had in him.

Analysts believe that with Ding Laifu now implicated, it indicates that the scope of the purge has expanded beyond the 31st Army to include others. Anyone aligned with Xi Jinping is now facing potential purging. This marks the "destruction of the 31st Army faction."

Commander of the Armed Police Force, Wang Chunling

On December 2, 2024, Zhao Lanjian revealed on platform X: "It is reliable information that Wang Chunqing has been arrested." On November 21, 2024, Wang Chunqing was absent from a video conference of national public security agencies; on December 23, he missed the Central Military Commission's ceremony for the promotion to the rank of general; on January 6, 2025, he was absent from the fourth plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection; from January 12 to 13, he missed a meeting of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission; and in March, he was absent from the National People's Congress meeting. Wang Chunqing's absence from so many important meetings indicates that he may indeed be in trouble.

After Xi Jinping came to power, Wang Chunqing was promoted and utilized by Xi: in August 2016, he was appointed commander of the Beijing Garrison District; in July 2017, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general; in April 2020, he was transferred to the chief of staff of the Armed Police Force. In December of the same year, he was promoted to commander of the Armed Police Force, attaining the rank of general. Wang Chunqing is a member of the 'red second generation'; he is the son of Wang Yongming, the former deputy political commissar of the Nanjing Military Region, and a candidate member of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, as well as a member of the 20th Central Committee.

Wang Chunqing's transfer to the Armed Police Force was likely overseen by Miao Hua, and it is possible that Wang had a mutually beneficial relationship with Miao. However, he may have been betrayed by Miao, and the reason for this betrayal is unlikely to be economic; the key factor is likely that anti-Xi factions seized upon his political disloyalty as a means to strike against him.

Wang Chunqing's last public appearance was on August 18, 2021, on Xinhua Net, with the article titled "Authorized Release of the List of Candidate Members of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party."

Commander of the Eastern Theater Navy, Wang Zhongcai

Wang Zhongcai, born in 1963, is a seasoned veteran of the East Sea Fleet. He has previously held the position of commander of the Xiamen Water Police District, and later served as the deputy chief of staff of the East Sea Fleet and commander of the Eastern Navy. In 2018, he transitioned to the role of director of the Chinese Communist Party's Coast Guard Bureau across military branches, and he is currently the commander of the Eastern Theater Navy.

Wang has maintained a long-standing superior-subordinate relationship with Miao Hua, the former director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission. Miao Hua is believed to have supported Wang during his naval career, which has led to Wang being associated with the Miao faction. Should Wang Zhongcai be arrested, it is highly probable that he would be implicated by Miao Hua. Following Miao Hua's dismissal, there have been widespread reports overseas that over a hundred individuals linked to him have been taken into custody, with Wang Zhongcai likely being among them.

The latest mention of Wang Zhongcai in domestic media was on August 2, 2024, in an article by The Paper titled 'Another General Appears in the East Sea: Major General Wang Zhongcai has been appointed as the commander of the Eastern Theater Navy.' The article highlighted a discussion between the Ningbo City Haishu District Committee and the government with Major General Wang Zhongcai, who is the deputy commander of the Eastern Theater and commander of the Eastern Theater Navy, among others.

Navy Political Commissar Yuan Huazhi

Yuan Huazhi has been working in the political work department of the navy for a long time. From 2014 to 2017, during Miao Hua's tenure as the political commissar of the navy, Yuan Huazhi served as Miao Hua's subordinate. After Miao Hua was reassigned as the director of the political work department of the military commission in 2017, Yuan Huazhi was promoted and given more responsibilities. He has held positions such as deputy director of the political department of the South China Sea Fleet, political commissar of the Navy Equipment Research Institute, and political commissar of the Marine Corps. In December 2018, he was appointed as the political commissar of the Eastern Theater Air Force. In January 2022, he was promoted to the position of political commissar of the navy and also elevated to the rank of general. Yuan Huazhi is likely one of Miao Hua's most trusted confidants within the navy. His appointment as political commissar of the navy was personally made by Xi Jinping, which further indicates that Yuan Huazhi is one of the senior generals that Xi has personally promoted.

At the end of October 2024, Yuan Huazhi was notably absent from a provincial and ministerial cadre conference and has not made any public appearances since then.

The recent troubles faced by Xi Jinping's confidants have created an impression of a significant collapse within the ranks. It appears that something serious has occurred at the upper levels of the Communist Party.

One theory suggests that Xi Jinping is strengthening his personal power by targeting disloyal individuals under the pretext of corruption. However, this argument is flawed, as it raises the question of how Xi could consolidate power by attacking his own confidants. Therefore, a more plausible theory is that anti-Xi factions are acting to thwart Xi's bid for a second term and are preemptively removing Xi's military allies to prevent any opposition or coup. Nevertheless, based on Xi's current activities in Zhongnanhai, particularly his travels with Cai Qi and Wang Xiaohong to regions like Yunnan and Guizhou, it does not seem that he is avoiding a major incident in Beijing. In fact, if something significant were to happen in Beijing, he would need to be present to maintain order rather than simply 

However, it is a fact that the individuals mentioned above have been missing for over ten days, several months, or even two years. Currently, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has not issued any denials regarding the rumors surrounding their disappearances. Furthermore, the Ministry of National Defense of the CCP has stated that it is 'unaware' of the circumstances surrounding He Weidong's arrest, which has been interpreted by external observers as a hint of trouble, akin to a new version of 'you know what' 2.0.

Zhao Lanjian has indicated that this wave of upheaval within the military has extended into the political realm. He disclosed that two significant political figures have been taken away: one is Xiao Pei, the Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and Deputy Director of the National Supervisory Commission, and the other is Wang Huimin, the head of the CCDI's disciplinary inspection team at the China Securities Regulatory Commission. He speculated that more 'high-ranking officials will fall' in the near future, suggesting that this situation is far from resolved. On March 27, the CCP officially announced that General Tang Yong, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission for Discipline Inspection, has been stripped of his qualifications as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. This indicates that an unprecedented high-intensity upheaval is taking place within the CCP military, revealing the bloody and brutal nature of the CCP's power purge.

Commentator Li Mu Yang analyzed in the program 'News Highlights' that within the CCP's system, one loses their status without military power. Since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee, various signs have suggested that Xi Jinping has indeed lost power. The upcoming Fourth Plenary Session this year will be a focal point, and it is highly likely that Xi Jinping will step down at that time. The reason for his abdication is likely to be health issues. If the entire Xi family faction is taken down by the anti-Xi forces, it indicates that there are even greater powers supporting the anti-Xi faction.