The reshuffled composition of the Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee has become younger and more experienced in working with Taiwan, which may indicate that Beijing is preparing to tighten its policy towards the island, Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Monday
BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2022) The reshuffled composition of the Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee has become younger and more experienced in working with Taiwan, which may indicate that Beijing is preparing to tighten its policy towards the island, Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Monday.
On Sunday, the Central Committee of the CCP announced a new composition for the Central Military Commission (CMC) the senior party leadership of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). Chinese President Xi Jinping, 69, and general Zhang Youxia, 72, retained their posts as CMC chairman and first vice chairman, respectively. He Weidong, 65, who was previously the commander of the PLA's Eastern Theater Command and was in charge of recent drills near Taiwan, became the second vice chairman.
Other CMC members are aged between 58 and 67, including general Li Shangfu, who headed the Xichang Satellite Launch Center for over 30 years, general Liu Zhenli, who has combat experience in conflicts with Vietnam, admiral Miao Hua, who was born in and has spent most his career working in the Nanjing Military Region that borders Taiwan, and general Zhang Shengmin, who has spent most of his career in the PLA rocket force.
"Most of the members have experience working at the grassroots level, such training, as well as a relatively young age, allow them to be involved for quite a long time. It looks like the Communist Party is carrying out some kind of preparation," the Taiwanese defense minister said, addressing the national parliament.
Chiu noted that new CMC members are officers of the ground, naval, air and missile forces, while some have experience in the aerospace industry and technologies. The majority of the new members are well informed on Taiwan and have experience in conducting military exercises near the island.
"This suggests that in the future they may pursue a tougher policy on this issue," the minister said.
Taiwan will monitor all the changes that are taking place in the military leadership of the CCP, which could hint at what kind of policy Beijing will pursue with regard to the island, the Taiwanese defense minister said.
The situation around Taiwan escalated after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in early August despite pleas from the White House to refrain from such a step. Beijing condemned Pelosi's trip, which it regarded as a gesture of support for separatism, and launched large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the island. Several countries, including France, Germany, the United States, Japan and others, have sent their own delegations to the island since then.
Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan a territory with its own elected government maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.
