China named a new political commissar for its large ground forces, an unexpected move that signals President Xi Jinping is tightening military discipline. 

General Chen Hui has been appointed to instill political loyalty and manage manpower in the ground forces of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday. The 61-year-old previously served in the Air Force, and in April was named the political commissar of the new PLA Aerospace Force. 

Chen’s appointment is surprising because he had only been at the Aerospace Force for less than a year and has no experience in the ground forces. He replaces the 61-year-old Qin Shutong. No official reason was given for Qin’s departure, and his next posting wasn’t announced. Qin’s predecessor stepped down at the de facto retirement age of 65.

Qin, along with Ground Force Commander Li Qiaoming, was not seen at Chen’s promotion ceremony, according to footage from state broadcaster China Central Television, an apparent break with tradition. The Defence Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on why Qin and Li didn’t attend.

The world’s biggest military by the number of active personnel has been mired in corruption scandals that impacted figures including the last two defence ministers, several officials with ties to the secretive Rocket Force and the suspended Miao Hua, who served on the nation’s top military body, the Central Military Commission.

The targeting of Miao, a political leader from the navy who shot up the ranks of the PLA under Xi, signalled an expanding circle of mistrust in the armed forces. It also comes as Xi ramps up drills around self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing has vowed to reclaim someday, by force if necessary.

The US Defense Department has said that graft probes could hinder modernisation goals of China’s armed forces.

China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong has been intensifying his grip on the army. He ordered a reorganisation of the military this year, replacing the Strategic Support Force created in 2015 with three new branches. He also held the first military political work conference since 2014, a conclave he previously used to assert his authority over the PLA. 

  - Bloomberg