Xi shakes up the military in rethink of how to ‘fight and win’ future wars

View In Browser April 29, 2024   Nectar Gan   Xi shakes up the military in rethink of how to 'fight and win' future wars China has rolled out the largest restructuring of its military in almost a decade, focusing on technology-driven strategic forces equipped for modern warfare, as Beijing vies with Washington for military primacy in a region rife with geopolitical tensions.    In a surprise move last week, Chinese leader Xi Jinping scrapped the Strategic Support Force (SSF), a military branch he created in 2015 to integrate the People's Liberation Army's space, cyber, electronic and psychological warfare capabilities as part of a sweeping overhaul of the armed forces.    In its place, Xi inaugurated the Information Support Force, which he said was "a brand-new strategic arm of the PLA and a key underpinning of coordinated development and application of the network information system."    The new force would play an important role in helping the Chinese military "fight and win in modern warfare," he said at a ceremony last Friday.    At a news conference on the same day, a spokesperson for China's Defense Ministry appeared to suggest the SSF was effectively broken into three units – the Information Support Force, the Aerospace Force and the Cyberspace Force – which will answer directly to the Central Military Commission, the body at the top of the military chain of command headed by Xi.    Under the new structure, the PLA now consists of four services – the army, navy, air force and the rocket force – plus four arms: the three units spun off from the SSF and the Joint Logistic Support Force, according to ministry spokesperson Wu Qian.    Experts on the Chinese military say the reorganization enhances Xi's direct control over the PLA's strategic capabilities and underscores China's ambitions in better mastering AI and other new technologies to prepare for what it calls the "intelligentized warfare" of the future.    The restructuring follows Xi's sweeping corruption purge of the PLA last year, which ensnared powerful generals and shook up the rocket force, an elite branch overseeing China's fast-expanding arsenal of nuclear and ballistic missiles.    The Information Support Force will be led by top generals from the now-defunct SSF.    SSF deputy commander Bi Yi was appointed commander of the new unit, while Li Wei, the SSF's political commissar, will take the same role in the Information Support Force, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.    There was no mention of any new appointment for SSF commander Ju Qiansheng, who last year spurred speculation when he disappeared from public view amid a flurry of military purges before eventually resurfacing at a conference in late January.    Longtime PLA watchers say the latest reorganization is unlikely the result of the recent corruption purges, but rather a reflection that the SSF wasn't an ideal organizational format for the Chinese military.    "It shows that the SSF was not a satisfactory arrangement. It reduced Xi's visibility of important functions and did not really improve coordination between space, cyber, and network defense forces," said Joel Wuthnow, a senior research fellow at the Pentagon-funded National Defense University.    Before its disbandment, the SSF had two principal units – the Aerospace Systems Department overseeing the PLA's space operations and reconnaissance, and the Network System Department tasked with cyber, electronic and psychological warfare capabilities.    "I think the new structure will give Xi better visibility into what is happening in space, cyberspace, and network management. These functions will now be supervised at his level and not through the Strategic Support Force, which served as a middleman," Wuthnow said.    Keep reading about Xi's military rethink.   More on big changes shaking up the People's Liberation Army:  Xi's latest purge targets the military. Why did powerful generals fall out of favor? China replaces elite nuclear leadership in surprise move Deadly twister At least five people were killed and 33 injured in a tornado Saturday that struck the southern commercial hub of Guangzhou, according to Chinese state media.   Roughly 140 factory buildings were also damaged by the impact of the tornado, which hit the Baiyun district north of the city center, state media reported.   The tornado follows what authorities say are heavier-than-normal rains that have lashed southern China this month, unleashing deadly floods and forcing thousands to relocate.    Read more here. Surprise winner emerges from superpowers' trade battle   As US supply chains decouple from China, Mexico's manufacturing sector is emerging as a winner.   Manufacturing in Mexico is attractive for companies that experienced pandemic-era supply chain snarls or want to decrease reliance on trade between the US and China amid geopolitical uncertainty.   That's called nearshoring, which is when companies bring production facilities closer to home markets.   As nearshoring continues and global supply chains are reorganized, Mexico's manufacturing sector has an opportunity for long-term success, according to Alberto Ramos, head of Latin American economics research at Goldman Sachs, who spoke with CNN.   Ramos said Mexico and China have been competing for the US manufacturing market for years, but amid a shifting US-China relationship, Mexico looks poised to pull ahead.   Mexico surpassed China as the top exporter to the US in 2023. Those exports were driven by manufacturing, which comprises 40% of Mexico's economy, according to Morgan Stanley.   US imports from Mexico continued to increase in February, according to April 4 trade data released by the Commerce Department. Meanwhile, Chinese exports to the US were down 20% in 2023, compared to 2022.   US Trade Representative Katherine Tai told CNN's Julia Chatterley that supply chains have made the US economy over-reliant on the Chinese economy in the past.   "The challenge for us is how do you create more resilience in your economy and in trade? Because right now, the way trade has been operating, our supply chains have been so entangled and they have created so much concentration in the Chinese economy, that we all feel extremely vulnerable because the supply chains are fragile," Tai said.   Amid shifting geopolitics and competition, US and Chinese companies both see potential in Mexican manufacturing: Low labor costs, geographic proximity to American markets and the US-Mexico-Canada agreement — a free trade accord established in 2020 that makes trade in North America more cost-effective and efficient — are all factors contributing to a potential boom.   While US policy intends to decrease reliance on China and "create more resilience" in US trade, moving supply chains can be tricky.   In fact, the US drive to disengage from the Chinese economy might be enabling China to access new markets and avoid US tariffs.   Cars are a major export for Mexico, and they illustrate much of what's happening.   Cars require tens of thousands of parts, which can be made in any number of places. And while Mexico's manufacturing sector is increasing exports to the US, Chinese companies might be using Mexico as a route to avoid US tariffs on Chinese goods, according to Xeneta, an ocean freight rate benchmarking and market intelligence platform.   Shipping container exports from China to Mexico were up nearly 60% in January compared to a year ago, according to Container Trade Statistics analyzed by Xeneta.   The surge in exports from China to Mexico suggests the possibility "that the increase in trade we are witnessing is due to importers trying to circumvent US tariffs," Peter Sand, chief analyst at Xeneta, wrote in a March 15 research note.   Read the full story here.   — From CNN's John Towfighi Around the region US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US has seen evidence of Chinese attempts to "influence and arguably interfere" with the upcoming US elections. A picturesque Japanese town is putting up a giant mesh barrier to block a popular selfie spot near Mount Fuji. Hiroyuki Sanada – one of Japan's biggest movie stars – says he wanted to "introduce the world correctly" to Japanese culture, when he took on the role of Lord Yoshii Toranaga in the acclaimed FX miniseries "Shogun." Meanwhile in China, a new airline route is setting the record as the longest non-stop commercial flight to originate in the country. What did you think of today's email? Send us feedback: meanwhileinchina@cnn.com   You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up for Meanwhile in China. To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or sign up to manage your CNN account   Learn more about the CNN app |  Get CNN web alerts  |  Sign up for a free CNN account   ® © 2024 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved. 1050 Techwood Drive NW, Atlanta, GA 30318