CMSI Note 16: Confirmed: ADM Yuan Huazhi Removed as the PLAN’s Political Commissar

Authors

Andrew S. Erickson

Files

Description

Key Takeaways:

• An authoritative source has confirmed what many had long suspected: Admiral Yuan Huazhi is no longer serving as the Political Commissar of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). As the chief political officer, the Political Commissar shares responsibility with the PLAN Commander for leading the service.

• While the details of ADM Yuan’s departure are unknown, it is very likely that he was a victim of the massive purge within China’s military that began in mid-2023. Unlike other senior PLA officers implicated in the purge, however, ADM Yuan’s status has not been publicly disclosed.

• ADM Yuan appears to have been replaced by VADM Leng Shaojie. In early January, Leng was identified as the Secretary of the PLAN Party Committee, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organization that administers the PLAN. The Secretary of the Party Committee is a post historically held by the service’s Political Commissar.

• VADM Leng is a career PLA Army (PLAA) officer with no experience in the PLAN. The practice of transferring political officers between services is common in China’s military. Another recent PLAN Political Commissar (2014–17), ADM Miao Hua, was likewise transferred from the PLAA to PLAN. Miao is currently under investigation for alleged “serious disciplinary violations.”

• VADM Leng spent much of his career assigned to northeast China’s former Shenyang Military Region. Among his recent appointments, Leng served as the Political Commissar of the PLAA Headquarters Logistics Department (starting in 2018) and the Deputy Political Commissar of the Central Theater Command (2021).

• Although it is unclear when VADM Leng was transferred to the PLAN, PRC media sources show him in a Navy uniform as early as December 2024.

Publisher

China Maritime Studies Institute, U.S Naval War College

City

Newport, Rhode Island

Keywords

China, China Maritime Studies Institute, CMSI, People’s Liberation Army, People’s Liberation Army Navy, PLAN, Admiral Yuan Huazhi, PLAN Political Commissar, Yuan Huazhi, VADM Leng Shaojie, Leng Shaojie

Recommended Citation

Erickson, Andrew S., "CMSI Note 16: Confirmed: ADM Yuan Huazhi Removed as the PLAN’s Political Commissar" (2025). CMSI Notes. 16.
https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cmsi-notes/16