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

The Communist Party of China has identified new leaders for its military theatre commands as part of an ongoing anti-corruption drive that has led to the expulsion of 33 senior officers, including three former theatre command leaders. The fifth plenum of the Communist Party’s 20th Central Committee, which concluded last Thursday, confirmed these changes and focused on party discipline and political loyalty.

The expulsions follow an unprecedented anti-corruption storm that has swept through the People's Liberation Army (PLA), triggering far-reaching personnel changes across its senior ranks.

The PLA's theatre commands, responsible for directing military operations in their respective strategic regions, have seen almost all of their commanders and political commissars affected by the anti-corruption campaign. The five commands, which cover the East China Sea, Pacific, South China Sea, Central China, and Western regions, are core to the PLA's war readiness.

Among those identified as likely acting commanders are Lieutenant General Zhang Jichun for the Eastern Theatre Command, Lieutenant General Yang Zhibin for the Eastern Theatre Command, Vice-Admiral Wang Xianfeng for the Southern Theatre Command, Lieutenant General Liang Ping for the Central Theatre Command, Lieutenant General Wen Junfei for the Western Theatre Command, and Lieutenant General Peng Jingtang for the Northern Theatre Command.