Xi purges to conquer in party vs PLA clash

By removing General Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC), and General Liu Zhenli, chief of the CMC Joint Staff Department and member of the CMC—China’s senior-most military officials — Chinese President Xi Jinping has definitively set to rest rumours circulating for over a year that his position has been undermined and is threatened.

- Jayadeva Ranade

With the removal of He and Zhang, the PLA has no representation in the politburo.

(REUTERS)

The rumours pointed to opposition from the upper echelons of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The dismissals also confirmed more recent rumours that generals Zhang and Liu were being investigated.

The official confirmation on January 24, nevertheless, surprised observers. The announcement by the spokesman of China's ministry of national defence was categorical and crisp. It stated that generals Zhang and Liu “are suspected of serious violations of discipline and law” and that the Communist Party of China Central Committee (CPC CC) had decided to place them under investigation. There was no mention of corruption, implying that the charges could be considerably more serious. The PLA Daily editorial of January 24 clearly suggested this. There was no mention of Zhang continuing in the politburo. The gravity of their “crimes” will be known only after the results of the investigation are released, possibly before the major political plenary sessions in early March 2026.

With the removal of Zhang and Liu, the CMC is left with two members instead of seven. Xi Jinping continues as chairman. The other is Zhang Shengmin, who was appointed a vice chairman in November 2025 to replace General He Weidong after he was dismissed from the PLA and expelled from the CPC in October 2025. It is the first time since the CMC was reconstituted in 1982 that it has been decimated like this.