Purge of Chinese Generals Leaves Little Doubt the PLA is Now Xi's Personal Military

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The Chinese government has announced the purge of two more top uniformed officers of the Chinese military. They are Zhang Youxia, formerly vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli, formerly chief of staff of the Joint Staff Department, who was also a member of the CMC.

There are various theories about the reasons for the sackings, but ultimately, the truth remains unclear. Nevertheless, Japan's giant neighbor, which possesses the world's largest military force, is in turmoil. This situation is definitely abnormal.

On Saturday, January 24, the Chinese Ministry of Defense announced that the two men were under investigation. They are accused of "suspicion of serious violations of Party discipline and law."

The shock is particularly great in the case of Zhang. He was vice chairman and second-in-command at the CMC, outranked only by President Xi Jinping, who serves as chairman. Zhang was also considered a "staunch ally" of Xi.

The Military Hierarchy at Stake

As an organ of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the CMC is the military's highest leadership body. It is the entity that controls the People's Liberation Army (PLA), which officially serves as its armed wing. Most recently, the makeup of the CMC was revised in October 2022. Since then, however, four of the five members under Xi have been purged. Meanwhile, none of the resulting vacancies have been filled.

Consequently, some observers concluded that Xi's control over the military was not rock solid.

However, in October 2025, Xi elevated General Zhang Shengmin as another vice chairman of the CMC. His post is as head of the Discipline Inspection Commission. (He is not related to Zhang Youxia.)

*All but one of those under Xi Jinping have been purged. (Courtesy of Inconvenient Truths ©Jennifer Zeng)*

Two more generals were targets of the recent purge, leaving a CMC consisting of just Xi and Zhang Shengmin.

Gun Barrel Politics

Mao Zedong, the founding father of the People's Republic of China, became a ruthless dictator. In wielding authority, he famously contended, "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."

Since its founding, the CCP has considered the PLA to be the armed wing of the Party and subservient to its leadership. It is not a national military as such.

Now there is a risk that the current purge has turned the CCP's military into a "personal military" that blindly obeys Xi alone. That is what defines the meaning of this "abnormal situation."

The military's official newspaper, the Liberation Army Daily (Jiefangjun Bao), has criticized Zhang Youxia and others for allegedly having "seriously trampled on and undermined the system of ultimate responsibility resting with the CMC chairman." However, that "chairman-responsibility system" mentioned here is another way of describing the concentration of the CMC's power under the person of Xi.

*Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, in April 2024. Qingdao, Shandong Province, China (©Kyodo)*

The Power of Taiwan

Zhang Youxia was a veteran of the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War, in which the Chinese military suffered a bitter defeat. Some China watchers also believe he may have been cool to the idea of launching a military invasion of Taiwan.

The United States believes Xi has ordered preparations to be completed for an invasion of Taiwan by 2027. That date is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the PLA.

Now there is speculation that, having turned the PLA into his private army, Xi may mobilize it to attempt to annex Taiwan. At least, such concerns have been raised. Japan and the international community cannot afford to stand by and watch this happen.

Corruption within the Chinese military reportedly remains serious while discipline is declining significantly. With the successive purges of military leaders, there is also a possibility that China might opt for more limited attacks, such as "decapitation strikes" to take out Taiwan's top leadership, rather than gamble on a full-scale invasion.

Japan must remain on high alert for any unusual developments in China. That is because "a Taiwan emergency is an emergency for Japan."

Tokyo must also be mindful of the risk of the emergence of a "Xi Jinping army." And during the Lower House election, candidates must deepen the debate on how to protect Japan and the Japanese people. That includes improvements in the nation's deterrence capabilities.

Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun

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