Xi’s Purge of Handpicked Ministers Shatters Stability Image
- Chinese leader has ousted top officials with no explanation
- Abrupt personnel moves have spooked investors and governments
Xi Jinping.
Photographer: Michele Spatari/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
After President Xi Jinping tore up the Communist Party rulebook to promote key loyalists last year, some observers expected his new team to operate more smoothly in tackling China’s biggest challenges.
Instead, his government looks like it’s in disarray. Xi’s mysterious purge of his foreign minister in July, followed by the reported ouster of his defense chief less than two months later, is making China appear unstable to the outside world. The Chinese leader also overhauled the generals overseeing China’s Rocket Force, which manages the nation’s nuclear arsenal, without giving an explanation.