Overview
- State media named General Yang Zhibin to lead the Eastern Theater Command and General Han Shengyan to head the Central Theater Command at a Dec. 22 promotion ceremony.
- Eastern forces handle operations related to Taiwan, while the Central command oversees defense of Beijing, Tianjin and five other provinces.
- General Lin Xiangyang, the former Eastern commander, was removed in October for violating party discipline and laws.
- Former Central commander General Wang Qiang was absent from a September military parade without explanation, and no new posting was announced for him.
- Beijing’s broader anti-corruption drive has taken down two former defence ministers and senior generals, with outside assessments warning that graft has eroded capabilities in units such as the Rocket Force.