Internet Claims: Chinese PM Xi Plotted Purge of Chinese Military, So the Military Plotted a Coup and Kidnapping. But Then Xi Launched a Counter-Coup.

Allegedly.

The claims of an actual coup attempt, with senior military leaders plotting to kidnap Xi, is an internet-based claim without any legacy media confirmation.

So far.

Here's the BBC:

The senior ranks of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) are in tatters.

The weekend purging of China's top general, Zhang Youxia, and another senior military officer, Gen Liu Zhenli, has left serious questions about what triggered the elite power struggles unfolding in the country - and what this means for China's warfighting capacity, whether it be any ambition to take Taiwan by force or engage in another major regional conflict.

Zhang, 75, was vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) - the Communist Party group headed by the country's leader Xi Jinping, which controls the armed forces.

The CMC, usually made up of around seven people, has now been whittled down to just two members - Xi and Gen Zhang Shengmin.

All others have been taken down in the "anti-corruption" crackdown following previous waves of detention.

The CMC is responsible for controlling millions of military personnel. It is so powerful that when Deng Xiaoping was the paramount leader of the country during the 1980s, this was the only position he held for most of that time.

That only Xi and one CMC general remain is unprecedented, according to Lyle Morris from the Asia Society Policy Institute.

"The PLA is in disarray," he told the BBC, adding that China's military now had "a major leadership void".

Asked what was really driving the culling of so many top generals, he said: "There are a lot of rumours floating around. We don't know, at this point, what is true and what is false... but it is certainly bad for Xi Jinping, for his leadership and control over the PLA."

Associate Professor Chong Ja Ian from the National University of Singapore also said he was not sure what the real reason was for Zhang's downfall but that there was a lot of speculation about it.

"Everything from leaking nuclear secrets to the United States to plotting a coup and factional infighting. There are even rumours of a gunfight in Beijing," he said.

"But Zhang and Liu's downfall along with the wild speculation highlight two things: that Xi remains unassailable and there are significant limits to information in Beijing which fuels uncertainty and feeds this speculation."

The official announcement that said Zhang and Liu were "under investigation" also said that they were accused of "serious violations of discipline and law", which is a euphemism for corruption.

...

The targeting of the generals may be about corruption, but it may also be about power politics, given how these purges have panned out in the past.

...

Xi may have stamped his authority, yet again, but the upheaval means ongoing frictions, he said.

"It's certainly a bad look for Xi and I think there's going to be significant turmoil in the PLA, with Xi and his leaders -- especially in the PLA -- for years to come."

The purging of the most senior generals also brings scrutiny on the next layer of officers who may be wondering who is next?

Twitter accounts claim -- again, without confirmation by the fake media -- that the military leaders Xi was about to arrest for corruption decided to strike first and kidnap Xi, but Xi got wind of this and arrested them first.

Cryptoanarhist @manaxer2

A coup d'etat is being prepared in China.

What happened? I explain:

-- The largest purge of China's military leadership in half a century has recently begun. Generals are being prosecuted on charges of corruption and state crimes.

-- Even General Zhang Youxia, who was considered Xi's right-hand man, was accused of treason for spying on the United States.

-- Unconfirmed information is also circulating online about the suppression of an attempted military coup and an assassination attempt on Xi Jinping himself.

-- There is an active movement of military convoys in the direction of Beijing, now they are located 40 kilometers from the center of Beijing.

-- Local media reports that some of the equipment has already reached Beijing, and armed men have taken control of the historic Forbidden City

-- Along with this, there are reports that the existing PLA system has been stopped and replaced by the direct command of the Central Military Council using encrypted telegrams.

-- All units throughout the army have moved to the first level of combat readiness.

In addition, against the background of the events, Taiwan said it was closely monitoring "abnormal" changes in China's military leadership and urged Japanese fishermen to refrain from visiting islands disputed with China.

What do you think, will there be changes in our political system?

Is this true? I don't know, but it's important enough to at least mention, I think.

And no one believes the "Real Media" is the real media any longer. They're incompetents. I don't consider them to be an authoritative word.

Happy Tuesday!

posted by Ace at 12:25 PM

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