Chinese air force officer who opposed Xi Jinping’s Taiwan policy faces death sentence

A senior Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force commander, who was arrested by the Chinese Communist Party, received a death sentence for "serious economic corruption". The air force commander, General Liu Yazhou, has expressed disagreements in past about China's policy of military belligerence around Taiwan, said a report in Ming Pao, a Hong Kong newspaper known for reporting on Chinese Communist Party.

Ming Pao has a mixed track record when it comes to the veracity of the information it cites. But this must be seen with respect to the disinformation spread by the CCP elements as part of their information warfare.

Opposing Xi means death in China?

Earlier, inFebruary 2022, writer Bi Ruxie, who lives in the United States, said that Liu could be given a heavy sentence based on his opposition to Xi.

According to Bi, who cited information from party insiders, Liu Yazhou had been criticised by Xi in a 40-minute secret speech; Xi supposedly said that Liu was not only guilty of "economic problems" but also spearheaded factionalism within CCP to cater to his leadership ambitions.

According to Bi, "Party princelings do not believe that Liu had established [factional] strongholds. The princelings noted that early reports of the investigation into Liu only found him to have ‘economic problems,’ engaged in promiscuous relations, and offended Xi Jinping with ‘a lot of strange political talk," SinoInsider reported.

Liu Yazhou: From arrest to potential death sentence— A Timeline

Liu Yazhou's arrest became a public knowledgein December 2021. In February 2022, China hand Michael Pillsbury told Radio Free Asia that the CCP’s Central Military Commission had placed Liu in detention in late 2021 over "economic crimes and political problems."

Now it is being reported by China watchers that Liu has been put on death row by Beijing.

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Ming Pao’s latest report comes after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s trip to the United States.

"Beijing’s more measured approach to the matter of Taiwan 'reunification' opens Xi Jinping up to criticism from the more hawkish elements in the CCP elite and his remaining factional rivals,"SinoInsider reads.

"To silence his critics, Xi would have to signal to the Party elite that disagreements over his current Taiwan strategy will not be tolerated,"which could have promoted leaks of information about Liu Yazhou’s case to Ming Pao.

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