China’s new PLA theatre chiefs identified as anti-corruption drive clears ranks

The Communist Party's 20th Central Committee concluded its fifth plenum last Thursday, focusing on party discipline and political loyalty. During the conclave, fresh faces emerged in the seating area reserved for key military commanders, filling vacancies left by China's anti-corruption drive. Thirty-three full and alternate Central Committee members, including 16 senior military officers, were expelled, marking the consequences of an unprecedented anti-corruption storm that swept through the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

Among the expelled generals were three former theatre command leaders: Liu Qingsong, Huang Ming, and Wang Haijiang. Their downfall signifies that the PLA's anti-corruption campaign has officially engulfed almost all the commanders and political commissars who have led the military's five theatre commands since 2025. The five theatre commands are crucial to the PLA's war readiness and responsible for deploying, training, and directing military forces in their respective strategic regions, with an emphasis on joint operations.

Nine generals from the theatre commands were identified, emerging at the plenum, though it is unclear if they are serving in an acting capacity. Lieutenant General Zhang Jichun is likely the acting political commissar in the Eastern Theatre Command, while General Yang Zhibin, commander of the Eastern Theatre Command, is present alongside Lieutenant General Zhang Jichun.

They are responsible for the East China Sea and Pacific strategic directions, including the Taiwan Strait. In the Southern Theatre Command, Vice-Admiral Wang Xianfeng is likely the commander, with Lieutenant General Liang Ping likely serving as the political commissar. For the Central Theatre Command, Lieutenant General Liang Ping is the likely political commissar.

In the Western Theatre Command, Lieutenant General Wen Junfei is the likely acting commander, with Lieutenant General Zhang Shaoying as the political commissar. Lastly, Lieutenant General Peng Jingtang is the likely acting commander of the Northern Theatre Command, with Vice-Admiral Zhang Shaoying serving as the political commissar.