The most important Chinese general in the latest cleansing XI Jinping

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President Xi Jinping has cleared the second number of the People’s Liberation Army, in the most exciting act in his military campaign to combat corruption and the first launch of the general in this role in six decades.

The year is Widong, the young Vice -Chairman of the Six Central Military Committee, which he leads eleventhHe was removed from his post in recent weeks, according to five people who are aware of this issue.

In addition to his role as a second -ranked officer in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, he will live him in third place in leadership Chinese army And a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party. His removal is the latest in a long series of officers who have been cleared of his post due to the alleged corruption.

Weidong is six months later The eleventh Miao Hua was suspendedOne of the six senior officers in CMC, for “serious violations of discipline” – a phrase usually indicating corruption in the Chinese military system.

But the oldest WEIDONG seniority makes its removal more dangerous than MIAO’s comment. Three of the familiar sources said that it was linked to the alleged corruption.

Speculation has increased about the fate of Weidong in recent weeks when it was absent from the events that CMC vice president usually attend. Weidong was not present at a modern meeting of the Political Bureau’s office on Chinese diplomacy attended by Zhang Yukia, the other Vice President of CMC.

In the previous week, Weidong did not participate in an annual ceremony to grow prominent annual trees led by Xi, which the general joined the army last year.

Five people familiar with the situation, which includes current and former US officials, said weidong has been cleared. The sixth person simply confirmed that the general is no longer in this role. One of the people said weidong has been interrogated by the authorities since his detention.

Nile Thomas, an expert in Chinese Elite Policy at the Asia Association Policy Institute, said that Widong cleansing will be the first Vice President of the one in CMC since 1967.

Thomas said: “The fact that Xi Jinping can purify the vice president of CMC, explaining the seriousness of corruption in the army,” Thomas said. “She wants to turn the People’s Liberation Army into an effective combat force outside the borders of China, but also to a full server for its local agenda.”

Thomas added that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army was “the main guarantor of the party’s rule inside China, and it is particularly important at high times, such as the economic shocks of the US -Chinese trade war.”

Over the past two years, Xi has removed the PLA headmaster, which is partially responsible for overseeing the nuclear arsenal of China.

Xi has also cleared two Chinese defense ministers, Wei Viggie and Wali Shangfo in the past two years. In the China regime, the defense minister plays a diplomatic role and the lowest force of military leaders in CMC. Xi also launched the Chen Gang, a former assistant close, as foreign minister.

Financial times were mentioned last year Dong John has also been shot Defense minister. But two people familiar with his case said he had undergone the initial investigation, but it appears to have been cleared. Dong this week met the head of the Pakistani Air Force in Beijing.

The Chinese Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were contacted to comment.