Xi relies on 'second red generation' generals to maintain grip

TOKYO - Generals belonging to the so-called second red generation are increasingly dominant in the Chinese military, riding their parents' coattails to power, following the purge of two top uniformed officers in President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign.

One middle-aged Beijing resident who likes to talk politics seems upset at the current situation. His father served in the military but was forced to retire early under a personnel reduction programme. "It is supposed to be a military for the people, but the children of those who once held high positions are assured of smooth promotion -- as if they were going up an escalator -- while the children of commoners are eliminated as weeds, eventually," he said. "It is strange that there are people who were born with silver spoons in their mouths in a communist-ruled country."

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