China has replaced two leaders of its elite unit managing its nuclear arsenal, leading to speculation of a purge. General Li Yuchao and his deputy, who headed the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Rocket Force unit, had been “disappeared” for months. The replacements, former deputy navy chief Wang Houbin and party central committee member Xu Xisheng, were named in the biggest unplanned shake-up in Beijing’s military leadership in almost a decade. This move comes amid China’s profound changes in nuclear strategy and President Xi Jinping’s efforts to consolidate control over the PLA. The whereabouts of the ousted leaders have not been officially commented upon, but there have been reports of an investigation into their activities.

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