China’s military is crumbling from within as President Xi Jinping’s second wave of anti-corruption purges exposes deep rot at the highest levels of command. The recent suspension of Admiral Miao Hua, once Xi’s trusted ally, reveals a startling truth that Xi can’t even trust the officers he personally appointed to cleanse the military of corruption.
On Nov. 28, 2024, the People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s Ministry of National Defense announced that Adm. Miao, until then the director of the Political Work Department, had been suspended from his position and was under investigation.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) now faces a tremendous leadership crisis. Having cycled through two defense ministers already, China may soon appoint its third in rapid succession if allegations against current Defense Minister Dong Jun prove true. Last year, a media report claimed he was under disciplinary investigation. Dong later reappeared in public.
These changes at the top expose Xi’s failure to fix the military he has commanded for over a decade.
When Xi took power in 2012, he launched his anti-corruption campaign with great fanfare. Military officers were notorious for selling promotions, taking bribes and running side business practices that emptied out China’s fighting force from the inside. Yet despite Xi’s tough talk, corruption festered within the PLA’s ranks, forcing him to launch a second, more desperate purge beginning in 2023. This new wave has claimed casualties—the heads of the PLA Rocket Force, officials from the Equipment Development Department, and now Adm. Miao from Xi’s inner circle at the Central Military Commission (CMC). Miao’s dismissal is particularly curious; as head of the Political Work Department, he was responsible for ensuring political loyalty throughout the officer corps. His removal suggests even Xi’s handpicked enforcers can’t be trusted.
The focus of Xi’s purge has shifted ominously from financial corruption to political reliability. Xi’s unexpected CMC Political Work Conference in summer 2024 revealed his growing paranoia, as he demanded “soul-searching reflections” from his officers. Blind loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party now beats military competence. This shift comes at a critical moment when China faces increasing tensions in the Indo-Pacific, particularly with the United States. As Xi’s geopolitical ambitions grow, he finds himself commanding a military rife with uncertainty, distrust and corruption.
The constant turnover in leadership has devastated the PLA’s effectiveness. New commanders are constantly replacing predecessors, destroying institutional memory and strategic continuity. Mid-level officers have grown risk-averse, fearing they’ll be next on the chopping block. Decision paralysis has infected the command structure. Officers hesitate to make bold moves, knowing a single misstep could end their careers. This creates a military that exists on paper but lacks the cohesion and confidence to execute complex operations. Most alarming are internal reports revealing that corruption has directly compromised China’s strategic weapons. Funds meant for the PLA Rocket Force were allegedly misappropriated, resulting in missile silos poorly constructed and missiles filled with water instead of fuel. This isn’t just administrative corruption, it’s military malpractice that renders China’s nuclear deterrent questionable.
Given his expansionist ambitions, the dilemma Xi faces is acute. He desperately wants a military capable of securing China’s disputed territories and projecting power globally, yet his anti-corruption campaign exposes just how unprepared his forces might be for actual conflict. This internal chaos weakens Xi’s hand in potential flashpoints like Taiwan, the South China Sea, and border disputes with India. The PLA’s diminished credibility limits China’s ability to intimidate its neighbors through military posturing.
Xi faces a difficult choice: He can continue the purges and further destabilize the military leadership, or he can ease the pressure and allow corruption to flourish again. Either path threatens his grand vision of Chinese military dominance by 2049. For China’s neighbors and the United States, Xi’s military purge offers both warning and opportunity. It reveals significant vulnerabilities in what was thought to be an increasingly formidable fighting force. The PLA may project strength through military parades and new equipment, but its leadership core is deeply compromised. However, this instability also creates dangerous uncertainty. A weakened PLA might make Xi more hesitant to engage in military adventures, but it could also make China’s military responses less predictable in crisis situations.
The ongoing purge represents Xi’s most significant leadership failure. After a decade in power with unprecedented authority, he has failed to build a military leadership he can trust. Each new corruption case undermines his image as China’s strongman and raises questions about his judgment in promoting clearly corrupt officers. Xi’s vision of a world-class military by 2035 looks increasingly doubtful as he struggles with the basics of military leadership integrity. Still, the US and Western analysts have extolled the PLA’s remarkable progress in its modernization program in recent decades. But corruption is real in the PLA.
The man who promised to make China a respected global power now commands a military where even the loyalty of his closest allies remains suspect.
Ankit K is an assistant professor at the national defence university, India.
