Xi Jinping Consolidates Power Over China's Military

The Chinese military is undergoing major changes these days. After four years of major military retrenchments, President Xi Jinping has now begun the process of filling top commanders. In this line, he has appointed two of his closest loyalists, Zhang Shuguang and Wang Gang, as generals. Jinping has indicated that he wants to make the top military command his own. The decision is being seen as big because the Central Military Commission (CMC), China's most powerful military body, is almost vacant. The seven-member top command center is now effectively left with only Jinping and Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin. The rest of the seats are vacant after dismissals, investigations and disappearances. According to the think tank CSIS, there are about 176 key positions in the top leadership of China's military PLA. These include 7 in the CMC, 25 at the theatre command level, and 145 at the theatre command level. According to the report, by 2022, the political control of the PLA will be as strong as the President thinks.