Elite force gets new leaders amid probe

A commander and a political commissar in the People's Liberation Army's Rocket Force have been promoted to general yesterday, after their predecessors were reported to be involved in a corruption scandal.

The PLARF, formerly PLA Second Artillery Corps, was established in 2015. It controls China's arsenal of land-based ballistic missiles and is under the direct command of Beijing's Central Military Commission.

Wang Houbin, formerly the navy's deputy commander, became the new commander of the PLARF, while Xu Xisheng has moved from Southern Theater Command to become the force's new political commissar, replacing Xu Zhongbo.

Both Wang and Xu Xisheng had never served at the PLARF. Their appointments were announced when the pair were promoted to general during a ceremony in Beijing yesterday morning.

China's state news agency Xinhua reported that President Xi Jinping, also the chairman of CMC, was at the ceremony and presented certificates of order to promote Wang and Xu.

Hong Kong media reported last Friday that three top officials of the force are being probed for corruption, including then-commander Li Yuchao, then-vice commander Liu Guangbin and former vice commander Zhang Zhenzhong. The three have been "taken away by investigators" from the CMC's anti-graft body since some time after March, Xinhua added.

Earlier last week, the Equipment Development Department of the CMC launched an inquiry into corruption cases linked to hardware procurement dating back to October 2017, urging the public to provide any tips on wrongdoings related to the bidding of military equipment.

The department listed eight issues it was looking into, including "leaking information on projects and army units" and helping certain companies secure bids.

Separately, Wu Guohua, a former deputy commander of the Rocket Force, died on July 4 of an unspecified illness, Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper reported.

But Zhang Xiaoyang, son of the former vice chairman of the CMC Zhang Zhen, said that Wu committed suicide because of work pressure and family conflicts.

Xi last week also urged the military to step up its effort to combat corruption during a speech at an air force base in Sichuan, according to state broadcaster CCTV. "We need to push forward the party's strict discipline and anti-corruption efforts to a deeper level," Xi said.

In December 2014, the People's Armed Police underwent a leadership reshuffle that saw its commander and political commissar replaced with PLA officers, after former security chief Zhou Yongkang had been accused of corruption.

Zhou, a former member of the Politburo Standing Committee, was jailed for life.