MBABANE: China says the recent removal of top Army General Zhang Youxia will not impede Beijing’s plans to take over Taiwan, the Taipei Times reported on Friday.
But the United States (US) is closely watching developments in China after it removed a top general, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday, as Beijing indicated that the anti-graft purge would not impede its plans for eventually taking control of Taiwan.
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense on Saturday announced that Zhang Youxia, second-in-command under Chinese President Xi Jinping as Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), is under investigation.
It was the latest high-profile military leadership purge amid Xi’s crackdown on corruption.
Removed Chinese Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia, center, swears an oath at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11, 2023 (Pic: AFP).