Who is General Li Qiaoming? Details about rumours to replace Xi Jinping
General Li Qiaoming: The Internet was abuzz with rumours that China is going to witness a new change in power General Li Qiaoming was going to stage a coup to replace the current president Xi Jinping.
This was reported on social media by Jennifer Zeng, who is a Chinese residing in the USA. These rumours since then have not been confirmed by the state media of China, the Army or the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Who is General Li Qiaoming?
General Li Qiaoming is one of the senior officers in the People's Liberation Army and has served as commander of the Northern Theater Command from September 2017 to September 2022.
He is also held several key positions in the army like Chief of Staff of the 361st regiment, Deputy Chief of Staff of the 42nd Army, and commander of the 124th division of the 42nd army.
He was also elected as a member of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Basis of Rumours
The basis of such rumours stems from the recent incident where two former ministers were sentenced on charges of corruption. It was a highly controversial decision in the history of the nation.
Also, as Xi Jinping was not visible after returning from SCO, the rumours went viral of a possible military coup in China.
There have been reports that flights were cancelled across China, but all these claims were found to be hoaxes.
An expert on India-China relations, columnist Adil Brar has posted tweets that show flights were running as usual and there is no sign of a coup.
No flights are cancelled anywhere. Look at number of flights in and out of China. pic.twitter.com/zohASE623C
— Aadil Brar (@aadilbrar) September 24, 2022
Political activities in Beijing are as usual. Latest Xinwen Lianbo.
— Aadil Brar (@aadilbrar) September 24, 2022
So quaint for a "coup". pic.twitter.com/rNYnwI35Zn
