Xi Jinping’s purge of top Chinese generals has cost Western governments a key contact and deepened fears that the People’s Liberation Army is becoming even more walled-off.
While the removal of General Liu Zhenli over the weekend has drawn less attention than that of his more senior counterpart, Zhang Youxia, Liu’s absence is of more immediate concern, according to Western officials. The former chief of the PLA’s Joint Staff Department had been the most effective point of contact for managing risks and preventing miscalculation, said the officials, who were speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters.