Xi Jinping Promotes Two Officers to General Amid Ongoing PLA Leadership Reshuffle
Central Military Commission (CMC) Chairman Xi Jinping presided over a ceremony on July 3 promoting two People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officers to the rank of General (Shangjiang, 上将): Zhang Shuguang (张曙光) and Wang Gang (王刚).
Zhang Shuguang was appointed Secretary of the CMC Discipline Inspection Commission and Director of the CMC Supervisory Commission, succeeding Zhang Shengmin as head of the PLA’s top disciplinary body. Under longstanding practice, the holder of this position is typically appointed to the CMC, making Zhang Shuguang a likely candidate for future elevation. Zhang Shengmin, the only remaining CMC member besides Xi after the purge of the other members, was recently promoted to CMC Vice Chairman.
Wang Gang succeeds Chang Dingqiu as PLA Air Force Commander after previously serving as a Deputy Commander. Chinese authorities have not explained Chang’s departure. However, overseas social media accounts circulated unverified claims in late 2025 that Chang and several other senior PLA officers were under anti-corruption investigation, followed by additional unverified reports that Chang died while in custody.
The promotions come amid continued upheaval in the PLA’s senior leadership. Over the past three years, at least 19 officers with ranks of General have been removed from public positions or stripped of their status as delegates to the National People’s Congress.
Wang Gang’s career trajectory has also attracted attention. His apparent personnel lineage to Zheng Qunliang and Hu Jintao has led some observers to view him as having strong ties to the “Hu faction.” Hu Jintao promoted Zheng during his tenure as CMC chairman, while Wang rose through the ranks under Zheng’s command of the PLA Air Force’s elite 1st Air Division. This makes Wang’s promotion to generate further speculation.
Sources:
1. People’s Daily, July 4, 2026
https://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/pc/content/202607/04/content_30166571.html
2. Epoch Times, July 4, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/7/3/n14802424.htm
3. Epoch Times, July 4, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/7/3/n14802389.htm
4. Aboluo, July 5, 2026
https://www.aboluowang.com/2026/0705/2404227.html
Ministry of State Security Warns Foreign Intelligence Services Are Exploiting Online Pop-Up Advertisements
China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) published an article warning that foreign intelligence services are exploiting online pop-up advertisements to conduct intelligence collection, target identification, and ideological infiltration. According to the MSS, it recently discovered that unidentified overseas links were being distributed through online advertising platforms.
The article alleges that foreign intelligence services have collaborated with certain advertising companies to exploit targeted advertising technologies for intelligence purposes. Data collected through mobile applications—including personal information, user interests, and behavioral data—can reportedly be combined with social media information and high-precision geolocation data to build detailed profiles of individuals, including their home addresses, workplaces, and daily travel patterns, potentially facilitating recruitment and espionage activities. The MSS further claims that foreign actors have used content delivery networks (CDNs) to embed links to anti-China websites within pop-up advertisements, allowing such content to circumvent China’s internet controls and be covertly distributed to domestic users.
The MSS urged online platform operators to strengthen oversight of third-party advertising, rigorously vet advertising content, and block advertisements from unverified sources. It also advised users to minimize app permissions for location, photo libraries, and contacts, disable ad tracking where possible, avoid clicking suspicious pop-up advertisements, and report anti-government or other suspicious content through China’s national security reporting channels.
Source: CCTV, June 21, 2026
https://news.cctv.com/2026/06/21/ARTI0fUXtvc3WAUaxLKcYKcX260621.shtml
U.S. Agencies Urge States and Businesses to Resist PRC Pressure on Taiwan Engagement
The U.S. Departments of State, Agriculture, and Commerce jointly sent letters dated June 16 to U.S. governors and business leaders, urging them to resist pressure from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) intended to discourage engagement with Taiwan. The letters were publicly released by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on June 24.
According to the letters, PRC embassies and consulates in the United States frequently engage with state and local governments, as well as private companies, in an effort to discourage exchanges with Taiwan. The agencies warned that Chinese officials often misrepresent U.S. policy by falsely claiming that Washington has endorsed Beijing’s position on Taiwan. State officials and business leaders facing such pressure are encouraged to contact the State Department for assistance.
The letters reaffirm the strategic importance of the U.S.–Taiwan partnership, describing Taiwan as the United States’ fourth-largest trading partner, a global leader in advanced manufacturing and the digital economy, and a longstanding partner in trade, investment, and people-to-people exchanges. The letter to governors underscores the unique role of state and local governments in expanding cooperation with Taiwan, particularly in disaster preparedness and critical infrastructure resilience. The letter to business leaders highlights growing commercial opportunities and encourages companies to utilize U.S. government resources to obtain accurate information.
Source: Epoch Times, June 25, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/6/25/n14796111.htm
Former Xinjiang Surgeon Alleges Elevated Cancer Rates Linked to CCP Nuclear Testing
A former surgeon at Urumqi Railway Central Hospital has alleged that unusually high cancer rates in Xinjiang may be linked to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) nuclear testing program. According to the account, while serving in the hospital’s oncology surgery department, the physician observed that ethnic minority patients occupied a disproportionately large share of oncology beds: 10 beds for 5,000 Xinjiang’s minority ethnicities vs. 30 beds for 154,000 han ethnicities.
The physician claims a review identified leukemia, lung cancer, and lymphoma as the three most prevalent malignancies among the hospital’s oncology patients, noting that all three have been associated in scientific literature with exposure to ionizing radiation. The account further alleges that a previous cancer survey of railway employees and their families found cancer incidence in Xinjiang to be approximately 35 percent higher than in other parts of China, although the survey’s findings were reportedly never released publicly.
The account also contends that official statistics significantly underestimate Xinjiang’s cancer burden because many rural residents and herders lack access to specialized oncology care. As additional supporting evidence, the physician contrasts the capacity of Xinjiang’s provincial cancer hospital—approximately 2,000 beds serving a population of 20 million—with that of Henan Province’s cancer hospital, which had only 800 beds despite serving a population of roughly 100 million.
Source: Aboluo, June 22, 2026
https://www.aboluowang.com/2026/0622/2398848.html
PLA Commentary Highlights Renewed Military Value of High-Altitude Balloons
People’s Daily republished a commentary from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Daily arguing that high-altitude balloons are reemerging as valuable military assets because their unique capabilities align with the evolving demands of modern warfare. While satellites and unmanned aerial systems largely displaced balloons in recent decades, the article contends that advances in materials, sensors, and payload technologies have restored their operational relevance. It highlights their long endurance, low acquisition and operating costs, wide-area surveillance capability, and low radar and infrared signatures, making them a cost-effective platform for persistent intelligence collection and battlefield support.
To illustrate these advantages, the article cites several foreign systems, including the U.S. Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS), which can detect low-flying aircraft and surface vessels over ranges of several hundred kilometers; Ukraine’s “Aerial Sentinel” counter-drone aerostat, capable of monitoring more than 50 square kilometers; Russia’s “Barrage-1” stratospheric communications balloon; and Canada’s Eagle balloon launch system, which supports surveillance, intelligence collection, and electronic warfare missions. A single balloon platform can perform reconnaissance, communications relay, electronic warfare, and target designation by carrying different mission payloads.
Looking ahead, the article predicts that high-altitude balloons will evolve from standalone platforms into integral nodes within joint, multi-domain operations. It forecasts advances in autonomous navigation, AI-enabled battlefield awareness and target recognition, greater payload capacity, and expanded mission sets—including electronic attack, cyber operations, and potentially directed-energy weapons. The commentary also anticipates continued efforts to improve survivability through reduced observability, enhanced resistance to electronic interference, and more resilient communications and navigation systems, while preserving low production costs to facilitate large-scale deployment as an asymmetric force multiplier.
Source: People’s Daily, June 17, 2026
http://military.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0617/c1011-40742163.html
PLA Daily: Iran’s Underground Missile Cities Enabled Sustained Operations During the War
People’s Daily republished a commentary from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Daily asserting that Iran’s extensive network of underground missile facilities played a decisive role in preserving its retaliatory capabilities during the recent conflict with Israel and the United States. According to the article, despite repeated U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, Iran’s underground missile infrastructure enabled it to maintain operational resilience and continue launching retaliatory strikes.
The commentary states that Iran began constructing large-scale underground missile complexes after the Iran-Iraq War to offset its limited air power. It claims Iran has built at least 27 major “missile cities” nationwide, integrating missile storage, assembly, testing, and launch capabilities with independent power, ventilation, and life-support systems. The facilities are buried beneath more than 200 meters of rock, interconnected through tunnel networks, and protected by reinforced blast doors, redundant ventilation shafts, and self-sustaining energy systems capable of operating for weeks without external support.
The article highlights the facilities’ layered protection, modular construction, and redundant layout as key factors underpinning their survivability. It claims that using prefabricated components and redundant access routes, missile complexes near Yazd and Tabriz withstood multiple rounds of U.S. and Israeli strikes, including bunker-busting munitions, while sustaining only localized damage that could be repaired rapidly. The distributed network of missile cities enabled Iran to rotate launch sites, restore damaged facilities quickly, and sustain continuous missile operations despite persistent air attacks.
Source: People’s Daily, June 22, 2026
http://military.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0622/c1011-40744771.html
Ukraine: North Korean Ballistic Missiles Used by Russia Show Dramatic Improvement in Accuracy
Ukraine’s defense intelligence officials told Japan’s Kyodo News that North Korean-made short-range ballistic missiles employed by Russian forces have demonstrated a dramatic improvement in targeting accuracy. According to Ukrainian officials, the missiles’ circular error probable (CEP) has reportedly improved from more than one kilometer in 2024 to approximately 1–5 meters by April 2026.
Ukrainian officials assess that the enhanced accuracy is likely the result of Russia refining the missiles using operational data collected during combat. The improvement applies to the KN-23 short-range ballistic missile, which closely resembles Russia’s Iskander missile. Military experts attribute the increased precision primarily to upgrades to the missile’s inertial navigation system.
North Korea has continued to conduct ballistic missile tests over the Sea of Japan, and the estimated range of its short-range ballistic missiles places all of South Korea, parts of Japan, and U.S. military bases in Japan within reach. Continued battlefield collaboration with Russia could further accelerate North Korea’s missile development and increase security risks in East Asia.
Source: Guangming Daily, June 21, 2026
https://guangming.com.my/误差从1公里缩至5公尺-乌克兰揭朝鲜导弹惊人进化
People’s Daily: China’s Indigenous “Lingsheng” Supercomputer Tops Global TOP500 Rankings
At the International Supercomputing Conference in Germany, the latest TOP500 ranking named China’s Lingsheng the world’s fastest supercomputer, achieving a sustained double-precision performance of 2.198 exaflops (EFlops). It is the first supercomputer to surpass 2 EFlops of sustained performance and marks China’s return to the top of the global supercomputing rankings for the first time since Sunway TaihuLight led the list in 2017.
People’s Daily portrays Lingsheng’s achievement as the culmination of nearly a decade of accelerated domestic innovation spurred by U.S. export controls on advanced computing technologies. The system is reportedly built entirely on indigenous technologies, including a domestically developed high-performance CPU, high-bandwidth on-chip memory, high-speed interconnects, advanced storage, liquid cooling, and a full-stack software ecosystem. According to the article, this end-to-end domestic architecture enables China to develop advanced computing capabilities independently of foreign suppliers.
A key feature highlighted by People’s Daily is Lingsheng’s departure from the dominant CPU-GPU heterogeneous architecture employed by leading U.S. exascale systems. Instead, it adopts an all-CPU architecture with integrated AI acceleration units embedded directly into the processor, eliminating the data-transfer overhead between CPUs and GPUs. The article presents this design as a new technological paradigm that demonstrates China’s “changing lanes to overtake” approach to bypass Western dominant competitors.
Source: People’s Daily, June 29, 2026
http://finance.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0629/c1004-40749501.html