China military purges raise war risk despite weakness, Chang says

China’s crackdown on top military leaders may weaken the country’s ability to fight a full-scale war, but it could make conflict more likely if mistakes or miscalculations get out of hand, writer Gordon Chang warned Monday.

The China expert and author of “The Red Plan: China’s Project to Destroy America” ​​joined FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on “Morning with Maria” to discuss how unrest within the military’s top leadership is raising concerns about Beijing’s ability to control crises rather than carry out a planned invasion.

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Zhang said China’s top military leadership has been effectively “wiped out” through internal purges, raising questions about whether Beijing is currently capable of carrying out a complex, coordinated air, land and sea operation.

He said the situation undermines expectations that China is operating on a specific wartime schedule, including expectations that Beijing may move toward Taiwan over the next few years.

“I don’t know how a joint air, land and sea operation can be launched in such a situation,” Zhang said.

Despite the apparent weakness in China’s military command structure, Zhang warned that the overall risk of conflict remains high. He said Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping now has a greater incentive to keep tensions high, increasing the risk of miscalculation during military or diplomatic confrontations.

“But this does not mean that we are free of war and the threat of war, because Xi Jinping has a lot of incentives, more incentives now to keep tensions high,” Zhang said.

Zhang warned that instability within China’s political system could make it difficult for Beijing to calm the crisis once it starts, increasing the risk of a single incident spiraling out of control.

“And if he miscalculates and one of these incidents goes wrong, he won’t be able to stop the escalation. So I still think the risk of war is high,” Zhang said.

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