16 January 2024 , 23:16
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China’s President has reportedly “purged” his own military, bringing in loyal officials who are willing to go to war.
Xi Jinping, often branded a dictator for the stranglehold he has over Chinese politics, is reportedly “trying to gain control of the military” analyst Gordon Chang told Business Insider. Raising fears of a possible war around the corner, Jinping added this was because “he is thinking that he needs officers who are prepared to actually fight”.
He added: "There is a sense that many of China's general officers don't want to fight. And so we really have a force led by an officer corps that is ambivalent about going to war." This comes amid growing tensions between China and other powers over a number of flashpoints including the country’s designs towards Taiwan. The senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute and author of ‘China Is Going to War’ pointed to the case of Air Force General Lio Yazhou.
Yazhou had cautioned against invading Taiwan and later received a suspended death sentence. This, Chang said, was evidence of Xi removing officers who were reluctant to fight. Issues arise because China claims Taiwan, which rules itself, as its own territory. And fears have grown in recent years that Xi may be plotting an invasion of the island. This comes about through increasingly hostile rhetoric emerging from China and simulated blockades of the island. Alongside that, Beijing has never ruled out the use of force to take back the island and Xi said unification is inevitable.
But that isn’t China’s only international dispute. China has various ongoing rows with India, at various points along their shared border. One such flashpoint is Aksai Chin, which India claims but China administers. This is thanks, in part, to a road built into the region in the 1950s by China - a road the Indians had no idea was being built.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping (REX/Shutterstock)Similarly, China has a number of clashes with other east Asian nations, claiming the ownership of a number of islands. This includes the Paracel Islands which Vietnam also claims, but China once more administers. It comes after China arrested a consultant firm boss they accused of spying for MI6. The country’s Ministry of National Security has accused the British Secret Intelligence Service of using a consulting firm official, named locally as Huang Moumou, to gather intelligence.
Chinese media reported Moumou, acted on instructions from MI6 to enter the country and gather intelligence related to China. This reportedly included identifying individuals who may be susceptible to approaching. Alongside that, it was alleged that Moumou was provided with intelligence training and equipment. It was said Huang provided the UK with a number of state secrets and intelligence.
The Chinese ministry of state security posted on social media about the arrest, claiming the man had been cooperating with the UK since 2015. But no further information was provided on the nature of the intelligence that was gathered, nor when the alleged spy was detained or where they were being held.