US intel shows China's army had missiles filled with water instead of fuel in a corruption scandal that led to Xi's military purge: Bloomberg

Matthew Loh

Jan 8, 2024

Chinese soldiers atop mobile rocket launchers in a parade in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 2019 to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

• US intelligence said China's military purge stemmed from serious equipment issues, Bloomberg reported.
• Examples of these included missiles that had been filled with water instead of fuel, the report said.
• The problems are a blow to Xi Jinping's focus on the Rocket Force, China's main nuclear arm.

China's army fielded missiles filled with water instead of fuel and arrays of silos with improper lids — examples of military corruption that led to a dramatic purge of top officials, Bloomberg reported, citing US intelligence.

Bloomberg, which did not name its sources, reported on Saturday that the intelligence indicated Xi Jinping's recent ousting of more than a dozen senior commanders in the People's Liberation Army stemmed from serious issues of graft such as these.

The purge went so far as to ax even the Chinese defense minister, Li Shangfu, who disappeared for two months before being replaced in October.

US intelligence sources told Bloomberg that corruption was so severe in China's Rocket Force and the wider PLA that it would most likely force Xi to recalibrate whether Beijing can take on any major military action soon.

The Rocket Force is China's main military branch overseeing its nuclear weapons and has been a key focus of Xi's recent push to rapidly modernize Beijing's forces.

It's been especially central to China's posturing on Taiwan, with Beijing rolling out long-range missiles on its coast to threaten the self-governed island.

In 2021, researchers said satellite images showed China was constructing hundreds of nuclear-capable missile silos in the Xinjiang desert, allowing its arsenal to potentially rival those of Russia or the US.

But US intelligence said one example of corruption was that entire fields of silos in Western China were fitted with lids that prevented missiles from launching effectively, a source told Bloomberg.

The outlet did not say what sort of missiles had been filled with water.

The American assessment said these problems had likely undermined Xi's modernization policies and internal confidence in the Rocket Force's capabilities, the outlet reported.

Xi's purge was long speculated to be tied to his long-running anti-corruption campaign. For months, China has dodged questions on why so many high-ranking army officials were fired.

Of the recently sacked Chinese commanders, at least three held top positions in the Rocket Force, and four were responsible for equipment, Reuters reported.

The PLA has since emphasized staying vigilant against graft, citing a "battle against corruption" repeatedly in its New Year's Day statement.

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Ex-PLA officer says Chinese troops used to cook and make hot pot with fuel they took out of missiles: report

Chris Panella

Jan 10, 2024

Yao Cheng, a former PLA officer, recalled problems from his time in the service. The above images show modern Chinese missiles and hot pot.GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images/Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images

• A former People's Liberation Army officer said Chinese troops used missile fuel to cook hot pot.
• He told Radio Free Asia about the incidents and other issues of corruption.
• Recent reports have highlighted new problems in the PLA, such as missiles filled with water.

Hot pot is a delicious communal meal that Chinese troops were able to make with the help of rampant corruption and readiness problems, a former officer told Radio Free Asia amid reports of new issues within the People's Liberation Army.

The ex-officer said he and other personnel used to use the fuel from missiles to cook meals, including hot pot. The reported example highlighted past problems with the Chinese military as the PLA and Chinese leadership grapple with new troubles potentially hindering China's efforts to transform its armed forces into a world-class military that can fight and win wars.

Yao Cheng, identified as a former lieutenant colonel and staff officer with the PLA who fled to the US in 2016, told the US government-funded Radio Free Asia that during his military service — which other interviews indicate was before more extensive military modernization efforts — there were multiple instances in which service members raided components of weapons to get by, speaking to problems within the PLA at that time.

Yao told Radio Free Asia that when he was in the military, he and others would "drain fuel from aircraft fuel tanks for cooking, which burns green and has no smell at all."

"When we would eat hot pot," he continued, "we would take out the solid fuel in the missiles piece by piece because there were insufficient supplies."

Yao said he "would often go along to the armory and ask them for a small round piece of solid fuel when we wanted to have hot pot." Hot pot is a traditional communal Chinese meal involving a tabletop pot that boils meats, seafood, vegetables, and other foods.

He made similar observations in a post on X, saying Chinese troops consumed whatever they worked with. Yao wrote that transportation personnel sold gas, aviation troops cooked with jet fuel, warship personnel sold diesel, and missile troops used rocket fuel. He said this sort of thing wasn't uncommon.

Yao's description of his experiences in the PLA came amid reports documenting continued issues of corruption in the force. US intelligence has described a few cases, including missiles filled with water instead of fuel and missile silos with dysfunctional lids, Bloomberg reported.

Though these reports highlight problems, it's unclear to what extent these issues impact China's overall capabilities and readiness.

China's military has seen several leadership shakeups in the past year, which raise questions about loyalty within the ranks and the control of China's leader, Xi Jinping, as well as his trust in the PLA. Perhaps the most shocking dismissal came in October 2023, when the defense minister, Gen. Li Shangfu, was removed from office after disappearing from public view for two months. At the time, US officials told The New York Times Li had been under investigation for corruption.

Li's departure came after the foreign minister Qin Gang's removal in July, which came with no explanation, and the dismissal of two top commanders of China's Rocket Force in the same month.

Expert observers have assessed that Xi is probably tightening his grip on both the Chinese Communist Party and the military. In a July 2023 meeting, he stressed that the party had "absolute leadership" over the armed forces.

[And a commentary that casts doubts about "water in missiles" claims:]