The purges in recent years have usually centred on the parts of the military to which much of these resources have been devoted — in particular, a unit called the PLA Rocket Force. This has a broad remit to purchase and maintain both nuclear and conventional weapons, from Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles to standard bombing and launch equipment. This crucial arm has received the bulk of the state’s defence largesse, as well as being tasked with ensuring that China is ready to engage in regional wars to protect its interests in the coming decades.

Under Xi, the country is undergoing a more nationalistic and populist turn. But it is also highly aware of the volatile international situation. While often neglected by commentators, China’s domestic politics are profoundly influenced by external events, particularly in the US. Rising volatility in the Sino-American relationship since the first Donald Trump administration has made Xi’s leadership recognise the need to be prepared for any eventuality.  The very actions the outside world considers signs of the country’s assertiveness are often a direct result of how China sees the pressures and threats arising from the international environment. It’s a vicious circle, and one with steadily rising risks.

The impact of this is both to upgrade China’s offensive capacity and to guarantee absolute loyalty among key military and administrative personnel. The problem in the army remains the same, however, as that which has historically plagued the Beijing government generally: personnel on relatively modest wages who are driven to temptation by the sizeable funds swishing around them.

Another purpose of these purges is to keep officials constantly on their toes, discouraging complacency and laziness. The continuous picking-off of those who, in the party’s eyes, have lacked either morality or political focus has been a key tool for ensuring discipline.

One side effect of all of this, as in the Mao period, is a general atmosphere of fear and trepidation within China’s air force, navy and army. The military has never been better funded, or had better equipment and capacity. But it has also never been exposed to such scrutiny and political attention. The question remains as to just how long these purges can continue before real opposition rears its head in the military.

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Kerry Brown is Director of the Lau China Institute and Professor of Chinese Studies at King’s College, London. His latest book is The Taiwan Story.

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