“A more charitable interpretation of all these events is that the Chinese Communist Party, which is obsessed with corruption, is really concerned about protecting its reputation,” said Lyle Goldstein, an expert on China who runs the Asia program at Defense Priorities, a Washington think tank.
Goldstein pointed out that days after Qin was removed from his post, China abruptly announced it had replaced two top commanders of its nuclear and missile arsenals, a move that could be connected to corruption allegations. The two generals, Li Yuchao and Liu Guangbin, have not been seen in public for months.
“It seems like they want to be opaque,” Goldstein said of China’s apparent strategy for appointing and dismissing key officials and military leaders. He said that strategy has “got a lot of people” in Washington “worried” as China’s military capabilities increasingly match, and in some cases, surpass the Pentagon’s.
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