OREANDA-NEWS  Personnel changes in the leadership of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) missile forces are related to the fight against corruption in the forces that will play a key role in any attempt to seize Taiwan. This is reported by The Japan Times (JT).

Wang Houbin became the new commander of the missile forces, and Xu Xisheng was appointed their new political commissar. It is reported that ex-commander Li Yuchao, his deputies Liu Guangbin and Zhang Zhenzhong were taken away for investigation by the anti-corruption body of the Central Military Commission.

According to the sources of the publication, the dismissal of key military leaders could potentially hinder efforts to improve their efficiency and capabilities, so the decision of Chinese President Xi Jinping to reshuffle personnel became politically motivated, taken for the sake of his anti-corruption campaign.

It is noted that the PRC missile forces also control China's conventional missile arsenal, which can be used to destroy military facilities in Taiwan in the event of a conflict. "If China launches military actions against Taiwan, China may launch short—range ballistic missiles to destroy Taiwan's defense facilities," said Ding Shufan, a professor at the National University in Taipei.

Earlier, personnel changes took place in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. The head of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission, a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the People's Republic of China Wang Yi became the new Foreign Minister of China, replacing Qin Gang, who had not appeared in public for a month before.