Multiple Chinese media outlets outside China allege that a handful of generals at or above the rank of deputy commander of China’s Rocket Force have been purged in recent months, and Chinese military insiders have said that the purge may be related to the disclosure of sensitive military secrets.
Death of Wu Guohua
According to a report by Taiwan-based media Newtalk, Wu Guohua, the former deputy commander of the Rocket Force, killed himself on July 6. An official internal circular later concluded that it was “sudden death by cerebral hemorrhage.”
People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy special force members stand on the deck of China’s Task Force 525 flagship missile frigate Ma’Anshan which saw action in Somalia against pirates as the ship anchors at the international port in Manila on April 13, 2010. (Ted Aljibe /AFP via Getty Images)
Yao Cheng, a former lieutenant colonel in China’s Navy Command who is living in the United States, said in a post on Twitter on July 9 that it is unlikely that Mr. Wu died of a cerebral hemorrhage, as he had received advanced medical treatment as a military commander and likely took precautions against cardiovascular disease….