The removal of PLARF’s top leaders shares similarities with that of former Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who abruptly disappeared from public sight for almost a month before being replaced by his predecessor, Wang Yi. Taylor Fravel, an expert on the PLA at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told DW that both incidents highlight the fact that “leadership positions in the party remain precarious, even after more than 10 years of Xi’s rule and consolidation of power.”