In 2015, during China's inaugural Victory Day military parade, over 50 generals participated alongside soldiers as they marched along Changan Avenue in central Beijing.
All kinds of generals guided numerous formations past the Tiananmen balcony, saluting President Xi Jinping and other officials while the official announcer announced each commander's name.
Through taking extraordinary measures, the senior officers were demonstrating a model for the troops, according to a representative from the parade organizers at that time.
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The generals also made a strong appearance during the National Day parade in 2019, offering spectators a unique chance to witness the next wave of promising talents within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The People's Liberation Army typically does not publicly disclose changes in personnel, nor does it promptly reveal which generals are being probed, making these occurrences an important opportunity to identify who was leading each unit.
A total of 89 generals were announced as they commanded 59 formations during the parade – four full generals, two lieutenant generals, and 83 major generals. This group comprised the leaders of China’s five theatre commands, who headed the flag formation.
But there were no such occurrences duringthe Victory Day parade earlier this month.
The generals had left, and in their place, colonels or senior colonels—identified by their insignia—moved along the capital's main street on foot and in vehicles. The announcer did not reveal their identities.
A Chinese academic remarked that the modifications might stem fromthe Communist Party of China's campaign against corruption.
"China's latest anti-corruption initiative has significantly affected the military. It might be that too many senior generals are suspected of connections with high-ranking officials currently under scrutiny, leading Beijing to possibly avoid having major generals oversee the parade," the expert mentioned, choosing to remain anonymous.
If these senior generals participated in the parade, showed up in public, and were subsequently probed, it would cast a negative light on Beijing.
At least five top-ranking generals have faced consequences after participating in high-profile events, such as Li Yuchao, the former commander of the rocket force, Ding Laihang, the former air force chief, and the former chief of staff of the navy.Li Hanjun.
Even the leader of this year's Victory Day parade held a lower rank compared to previous years, as the event was overseen by Lieutenant General Han Shengyan. He had previously been seen in public as the commander of the air force under the Central Theatre Command.
It remains unclear if Han has been elevated to the position of commander of the Central Theatre Command, although his armband seen during the parade indicated that he is still a lieutenant general.
The two earlier parades were led by a full general, with Yi Xiaoguang, who serves as the commander of the Central Theatre Command, directing the 2019 event, and Song Puxuan from the Beijing Military Region – the predecessor of the central theatre – leading the ceremony in 2015.
Beijing has not revealed the number of generals participating in the parade leadership and has yet to clarify the reasons behind the changes in this year's arrangements.
The People's Liberation Army is undergoing a comprehensive anti-corruption initiative that, in the last three years, has led to the downfall of former defense ministers.Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, and inflicted damage on the rocket force and the military's equipment industry.
Notification was received last week thatfour more generals, including a full general, Wang Chunning, commander of the People's Armed Police Force, were being investigated when China's highest legislative body, the National People's Congress, stated that the individuals had lost their membership.
Concerns have also been brought up regardingHe Weidong, a member of the Politburo and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, who was notably missing from the platform during the parade and has not appeared in public since March 11.
Lu Li-Shih, a Taiwanese expert and former naval officer, mentioned that the adjustment in the parade setup indicates a shift in the emphasis of the command system.
"It's the PLA employing very discreet methods to convey numerous messages – the simplification of their entire organizational command-and-control system," he stated.
This implies that when the command structure among the troops is simplified, the visible hierarchy appears less imposing.
Further reporting by Sylvie Zhuang
More from the South China Morning Post:
- China removes 4 generals from parliament as the anti-corruption campaign continues within the PLA
- China's missile force suspends almost 200 vendors and assessors following a corruption probe
- China's military parade serves as a reminder of the former rising stars of the PLA who have since fallen from grace.
- 'Remove harmful elements': China's military introduces fresh political rules following a corruption surge
- What is the reason for China's anti-corruption campaign focusing on high-ranking military officials?
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