China’s Military Purges Accelerate

Chris Buckley, the New York Times’ chief China correspondent, published an extremely interesting report today on Xi Jinping’s ongoing purge of the highest ranks of the People’s Liberation Army.

The purges, which have been gathering steam over the last couple of years as Xi has further cemented his power in Beijing, have been spearheaded by General Zhang Shengmin, a former political commissar. Now, Zhang has been promoted to the Politburo, giving him a seat on China’s most powerful political body.