New Delhi: Something is cracking inside China. It is quiet, hidden but real. President Xi Jinping vanished from public view in late May.
Now, he skipped the BRICS summit in Rio. Unusual? But this is not only about a diplomatic cold. The whispers in Beijing are growing louder his own generals are no longer trusting him.
Behind the walls of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), rumblings have begun. Once held total control, Xi has been purging top commanders. Two defense ministers. Multiple rocket force heads. Even General He Weidong, once seen as Chinas second-most powerful man, was dismissed. His crime? Allegedly pushing too far and too fast on Taiwan.
That island has long haunted Beijing. Xi made it a personal mission. He ordered the PLA to be combat ready to strike by 2027. But the generals now seem hesitant. Some have vanished. Others have fallen silent. Internally, there is a growing fear what if the army no longer wants this war?
China has not fought a real battle since 1979. Its military is vast but untested. The West sees it as a giant but without scars. That, experts say, is Xis biggest insecurity. He has built a fortress, but the foundations may be brittle.
The tension is spilling into politics. Premier Li Qiang has stepped in for Xi at the BRICS summit. Party technocrats like Wang Yang are rising again. These shifts are raising questions is Xi being sidelined from within?
American analysts say the PLAs loyalty is to the Communist Party, not directly to Xi. Unlike the U.S. military, which swears allegiance to a constitution, Chinas army swears to the ruling party. When that trust erodes, so does the chain of command.
And that makes Taiwan even more dangerous.
If Xi rushes into conflict to reassert his power, the fallout could be enormous. A failed invasion would shake Chinas economy, already battered by trade wars and debt. A miscalculated war would also draw the United States and possibly India into a new regional crisis.
Indias defense community is watching closely. Any instability in Beijing could ripple across the Himalayas and through the Indo-Pacific. The PLA has been aggressive along the LAC before. If chaos brews in Beijing, China might lash out abroad to restore its image at home.
Xi wanted to show strength. But the silence from his generals might say more than any parade.