Chinas Military Newspaper Urges Loyalty After Purge, Fueling Questions of PLA Stability

Members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army honor guard train in Beijing on Jan. 1, 2018. AFP via Getty ImagesChina’s official military newspaper has renewed its public attack on two recently purged top generals, urging troops to support their investigation and pledge loyalty to Chinese leader Xi Jinping—a move that analysts say is unusual and underscores growing unease within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).In a front-page editorial published on Jan. 31, the PLA Daily described the investigation of former Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia and CMC member Liu Zhenli as a “major victory” in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) anti-corruption campaign. The article called on officers and soldiers across the military to “resolutely support” the Party leadership and “maintain a high degree of consistency” with Xi.