predecessor Li Zuocheng, Liu rose through the ranks of the PLA Army HQ, assuming command of the service in 2021. Beginning in 2015 as Army chief of staff, Liu guided the service through a major period of reform which saw the ground force downgraded to an equal standing with the other branches. Liu, at age 58 in 2022, is the youngest CMC member and is eligible to remain on the CMC for at least an additional term.
Political Work Department Director Admiral Miao Hua oversees the PLA’s political work, including propaganda, organization, and education. Miao is a former Army officer who switched services to the Navy in December 2014 when he became political commissar of the PLAN. Miao may have ties to Xi from his time serving in the 31st Group Army in Fujian Province, when his career overlapped with Xi’s. Miao participated as the PLAN political commissar during the Navy’s BRIcruise conducted in mid-2017. Miao Hua, at age 66 in 2022, remained on the CMC in his current position following the 20th Party Congress.
Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission General Zhang Shengmin oversees the highest-level organization responsible for investigating military violations of Party discipline, including corrupt practices. Zhang is also a deputy secretary and third-ranking member on the standing committee of the Party’s Discipline Inspection Commission. Zhang’s reappointment reflects the Party’s continued commitment to the anticorruption campaign within the military. Zhang, at age 65 in 2022, remained on the CMC in his current position following the 20th Party Congress.
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OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China
