Prosecution of 2 PLA Generals Shows Serious ‘Illness’ in Chinese Military

BEIJING – Communist Party China (CCP) has dismissed General Wei Fanghe and General Li Shangfu on corruption charges and initiated prosecution against them.

Their case has revived talk about the possibility that some long-range missiles under the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLA) were filled with water instead of fuel. Also, silos set up in the Xinjiang region to house some of the missiles had ill-fitting lids.

Quoting from CNI Myanmar On Friday (5/7/2024), reports about the missiles and silos were considered too far-fetched by Western observers.

When General Wei and his successor, General Li, were dismissed as Chinese Defense Ministers in quick succession in 2023 and disappeared from public view, the world searched for answers. Officially, both have been accused of bribery without further explanation.

That’s when reports emerged citing US intelligence sources that some long-range missiles in China’s arsenal were found to be filled with water, and missile silos had damaged lids.

In other words, a major deception is underway in the PLA Strategic Rocket Force—raising serious doubts about the strike power of China’s armed forces and the question of whether the PLA is a “paper tiger.”

As the Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote on January 25, 2024, nine top Chinese military officials were removed in what was described as a “purge” in December 2023. The removals included officials from the PLA Strategic Rocket Force, which oversees China’s nuclear-armed missiles.

According to US intelligence, subsequent reporting indicated that the “purge” was due to widespread corruption, which has undermined efforts to modernize the armed forces and raised questions about China’s ability to wage war.

Specifically, the Chinese missiles were believed to be filled with water, not fuel, at the time. Experts have cast doubt on the veracity of the report, which was attributed to US intelligence.