China appoints new military leaders to corruption-hit PLA Eastern Theatre Command overseeing Taiwan

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) appears to have appointed new heads for its Eastern Theatre Command, the key military division responsible for operations related to Taiwan, following a major corruption crackdown that destabilised its senior leadership.

Lieutenant General Yang Zhibin (杨志斌) and Lieutenant General Zhang Jichun (张继春) were seen alongside senior officials during the annual commemoration of the Nanjing massacre in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on 13 December, according to footage broadcast by state broadcaster CCTV.

Although official reports did not identify Yang and Zhang by their specific titles, they stated that senior officials from the Eastern Theatre Command were present. Yang and Zhang were the only senior theatre-level officers attending, alongside General Liu Zhenli (刘振立).

General Liu is the chief of staff of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission, making his presence alongside the two officers particularly notable, according to analysts following PLA leadership movements.

An analyst said the appearance of the two generals suggests they have assumed acting leadership roles within the Eastern Theatre Command.

The appointments would allow the command to maintain continuity following the removal of several senior figures for corruption.

Yang, 62, is believed to be serving as acting commander of the Eastern Theatre Command.

He is expected to replace General Lin Xiangyang (林向阳), who was officially removed from his post by the Chinese Communist Party in October 2025.

Yang was last seen in official coverage serving with the Western Theatre Command as recently as March, indicating that his transfer to the eastern command occurred later this year.

He began his career in the PLA Air Force with the 26th Division of the 8th Air Force Corps in Fujian, a frontline unit facing the Taiwan Strait. He later rose to become commander of that division.

In 2010, Yang was promoted to commander of the air force’s Wuhan base. A year later, he was reassigned to the same position in Fuzhou, Fujian’s capital, a posting central to Beijing’s military pressure on Taiwan.

Yang moved to north-western China in December 2014 after being promoted to deputy chief of staff of the Lanzhou Military Region. In April 2017, he was appointed commander of the Shaanxi Military District.

Lieutenant General Zhang Jichun, 57, is widely regarded as fulfilling the role of political commissar within the Eastern Theatre Command, a position focused on party discipline and ideological control.

Zhang began his career in the army’s first conventional surface-to-surface missile brigade, where he rose to the rank of commander. He later transitioned into political work across multiple units of the PLA Rocket Force.

During the 2019 military parade in Beijing, Zhang was one of two generals who led the DF-26 missile formation through Tiananmen Square during an inspection overseen by President Xi Jinping.

In 2021, Zhang was transferred from the rocket force to the former Strategic Support Force, where he served as political commissar of the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre, according to official coverage.

CCP expelled nine top generals in Oct 2025

The emergence of Yang and Zhang comes after an unprecedented corruption purge announced by the CCP on 17 October 2025, which resulted in the expulsion of nine top generals.

According to a statement from China’s defence ministry, the officers had “seriously violated party discipline” and were suspected of crimes involving “extremely large sums of money” with “extremely detrimental consequences”.

All nine were removed from military service and are expected to face prosecution in military courts, the statement said.

Those expelled included He Weidong, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, Miao Hua, director of the commission’s political work department, and Lin Xiangyang, the former commander of the Eastern Theatre Command.

Other figures removed held senior roles across the army, navy, rocket forces, and armed police, making the purge one of the most extensive in recent PLA history.

Analysts say the shake-up is likely intended to consolidate Xi Jinping’s authority over the military while removing potential dissent ahead of future leadership reshuffles.

They added that installing experienced officers with strong operational and political backgrounds could help stabilise the Eastern Theatre Command, which plays a central role in Beijing’s Taiwan strategy.