Sm87

🇨🇳 While America was bombing Iran, China was bombing itself... The Chinese People's Liberation Army is in the middle of the largest military purge in modern history. Over 100 senior generals and lieutenant generals have been arrested or have "vanished" since late 2023. Both recent defense ministers erased. The Rocket Force, which controls China's nuclear missiles, almost entirely replaced. The Central Military Commission gutted to the point that only Xi and one other general remain from the original lineup. The official story is anti-corruption. The real story appears to be a failed power grab. Xi reportedly tried to consolidate direct tactical control over missile launches and theater operations, bypassing traditional military command structures. Senior generals including Zhang Youxia, once Xi's closest military ally, pushed back. The pushback became a purge. Now the PLA is being run by acting commanders who are too afraid to make decisions without explicit orders from above. This matters enormously for the war we just covered. China played a quiet role in the Iran ceasefire, mediating the final breakthrough. Beijing now has diplomatic leverage with Trump heading into the May summit. But behind that diplomatic theater is a military that may be temporarily broken. The dangerous paradox: Xi has never been more powerful personally. The institution he needs to project that power has never been more unstable. A fragile China can be just as dangerous as a strong one.

China's foreign minister calls on Iran to allow for 'normal navigation' in the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. BLOCKADE FULLY IMPLEMENTED.