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Significance

It does not reveal critical threats to President Xi Jinping’s authority, deficits that demand fundamental reassessments of the PLA’s development trajectory, or alter assessments of Xi’s inclination to use the PLA against Taiwan. Foreign intelligence assessments of such events, as reported, should be treated sceptically.

Impacts

The purge will probably reinforce Xi’s caution about relying on the PLA’s warfighting capabilities in the near future.

Optimising the chain of command, with Xi at the helm, will bolster his rule by preserving the option of military force against Taiwan.

Recent events are unlikely to change the trajectory of PLA capability improvements relative to the United States military and allies.

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