PERIÓDICOS ALIAZON: Xi’s latest purge targets the military. Why did powerful generals fall out of favor?

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Nectar Gan

Xi's latest purge targets the military. Why did powerful generals fall out of favor?

For much of 2023, a storm has been quietly engulfing the world's largest military – the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China.

Behind the walled government and military compounds of the Chinese capital, powerful generals have disappeared from public view one after another. Some were subsequently removed from their positions without explanation, even for roles as high-profile as the defense minister.

After months of intense public speculation and evasive non-answers from government spokespersons, the clearest sign of a sweeping purge inside China's military came last Friday, when nine high-ranking PLA officers were ousted from the country's top legislature.

While the National People's Congress (NPC) is a rubber-stamp parliament, its members enjoy a degree of immunity from arrest and criminal prosecution granted by the constitution. Previously, such sudden expulsions often served as a prelude to further disciplinary or legal action.

In keeping with the opacity that shrouds Chinese elite politics, no reason was given for the generals' sudden ouster from the legislature.

But experts who have long studied China's military point to a corruption purge as the likely cause – possibly over the procurement and development of advanced equipment that has been a key element in Chinese leader Xi Jinping's efforts to "modernize" the PLA and transform it into a "world class" fighting force.

To some, the scale and depth of the latest purges recalls the graft probes in the early years of Xi's tenure, which led to the downfall of multiple senior generals and their underlings.

Xi has made rooting out corruption and disloyalty a hallmark of his rule since coming to power in 2012, and the latest shake-ups suggest that campaign is far from over within the military.

At the center of the latest purge is the PLA's Rocket Force, an elite branch Xi has built up to oversee China's fast-expanding arsenal of nuclear and ballistic missiles.

The Chinese leader has described the force as a "core of strategic deterrence, a strategic buttress to the country's position as a major power, and a cornerstone on which to build national security."

"Right now, it's obvious to Xi Jinping and the Chinese high command that the Rocket Force leadership has been compromised," said James Char, a longtime PLA-watcher and research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

"If this were allowed to fester over the longer term it would definitely have repercussions on the PLA's overall combat capabilities," Char said.

Find out the what's behind the sweeping purge.

More on China's military shake-up:

Two key appointments from China's naval ranks reflects Xi's territorial ambitions, analysts say
China removes Defense Minister Li Shangfu after two-month disappearance

Roar deal

A stamp collector displays her newly purchased stamps marking the Year of the Dragon at a post office in the eastern city of Hangzhou on Friday.

The set of two special stamps were released by China Post to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year, which falls on February 10.

The Year of the Dragon is considered particularly auspicious by many in China, where the mythical animal has long been a symbol of power, prosperity and, in ancient times, the emperor.

Hottest year on record

China saw its hottest year on record in 2023, state media reported this week, as the world's biggest polluter confronted a series of relentless heat waves and other extreme weather events driven by the human-caused climate crisis.

Daily and monthly temperature records were repeatedly shattered as the year wore on while the country grappled with scorching heat waves, which authorities said had arrived earlier and been more widespread and extreme than in previous years.

China's exceptional warmth echoed global trends – with scientists confirming that 2023 will officially be the hottest year on record, the result of the combined effects of El Niño and climate change.

The average temperature in China last year stood at 10.7 degrees Celsius – the highest since records began in 1961, according to the National Climate Center, state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

It breaks the previous record of 10.5°C set in 2021.

Across the country, 127 weather stations recorded their highest ever daily temperatures, state-run newspaper China Daily reported.

The highest of those was 52.2°C on July 16 in Turpan's Sanpu town, in the far western Xinjiang region.

The prolonged and persistent heat affected hundreds of millions of people and put huge strain on the country's power grid. In July, China Energy Investment Corporation, one of the world's largest generators of coal-fired power, said the volume of electricity it produced had hit a daily record.

There were also reports of farm animals, including pigs, rabbits and fish, dying from the searing temperatures and wheat fields in central China being flooded by heavy rainfall, raising concerns about food security in the world's second largest economy.

—From CNN's Helen Regan

IPOs on the boil for bubble tea giants

Two of China's most popular bubble tea brands are preparing to go public.

Mixue Group and Guming Holdings — known for unique, crowd-drawing flavored teas like passionfruit pulp or grape and cheese — have applied for initial public offerings in Hong Kong, according to Tuesday stock exchange filings.

The size of the offerings was redacted in each company's filing. But on Wednesday, Reuters reported that Mixue, which bills itself as China's largest bubble tea chain, is hoping to raise $500 million to $1 billion, while Guming is aiming to raise $300 million to $500 million, citing an unidentified source.

Mixue declined to comment, while Guming did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Even though China is grappling with high economic uncertainty and low consumer confidence, affordable treats, such as going to the movies or cheap food and beverages, are seen as bright spots.

The country's bubble tea market is sizable. In 2023, the industry was estimated to be worth 145 billion yuan ($20.4 billion), according to a report by the China Chain Store and Franchise Association, an industry group.

Mixue, which the company says means "sweet snow like honey" in English, has more than 36,000 stores across mainland China and 11 overseas markets, such as Vietnam and Malaysia, according to its prospectus.

The chain, associated with its cheerful snowman logo, sells many items for as little as $1. Its best-sellers include ice cream cones, lemonade and bubble tea, which is also called boba.

The promise of low prices has served as a convincing sales hook. At a Mixue stand in Hong Kong on Thursday, several customers waiting in a long line told CNN that Mixue's prices were too good to pass up.

Emma So, a 30-year-old administrative worker, said she had previously found its drinks a little too sweet. "But it's so cheap," she said while picking up a regular bubble tea with extra tapioca pearls.

Read the full story here.

— From CNN's Michelle Toh and Hassan Tayir

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