China’s Military Shake-Up Signals Escalating Power Struggle Around Xi Jinping

The sudden purge of senior generals has raised concerns among analysts about factional conflict and weakening command authority within the nation’s army.

Chinese security guards look at military delegates during the speech of Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Communist Party's 19th Congress in Beijing on Oct. 18, 2017.

The sudden downfall of Zhang Youxia, a vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC), has fueled speculation among analysts of an escalating power struggle at the heart of the Chinese communist regime.

Zhang and fellow CMC member Liu Zhenli were officially announced as being under investigation on Jan. 24, an extraordinary move given Zhang’s status as one of the most senior figures in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Within hours of the announcement on Jan. 24, the PLA’s official newspaper published a sharply worded editorial accusing Zhang and Liu of undermining the responsibilities of the CMC chairman and of threatening the Party’s control over the military—language widely interpreted as signaling political disloyalty rather than routine corruption.

A Political Crime, Not a Corruption Case

Analysts noted that the official wording used against Zhang was far harsher than the language previously applied to fallen generals aligned with Xi Jinping.

China current affairs commentator Jiang Feng compared the accusations against Zhang with those used last year against He Weidong, a known Xi ally, on his Chinese-language podcast. While He was accused of “damaging” the system of military leadership, Zhang was said to have “trampled” it. Jiang said this terminology in Chinese Communist Party (CCP) political discourse implies rebellion rather than graft.

“This is not a corruption case but a rebellion,” he said, “meaning that Zhang Youxia threatened the very foundation of Xi Jinping’s rule.”

Du Wen, a former legal adviser to the Inner Mongolian government who fled China and now lives in Belgium, said on his podcast in Chinese that Zhang and Liu were preparing a coup aimed at removing Xi to “save the Party,” alleging that the plan collapsed after internal informants tipped off Xi’s camp.

The Epoch Times was unable to independently verify this claim.

Struggle for Control of the Military

Several analysts argue that the roots of Zhang’s downfall lie in years of mutual suspicion and internal surveillance within the PLA.

U.S.-based veteran political commentator Cai Shenkun said on his Chinese-language podcast that Xi’s purge of the military—particularly the removal of former Defense Minister Li Shangfu and senior Rocket Force commanders—directly targeted officers promoted by Zhang.

With the 21st Party Congress approaching, Cai argues, Xi moved decisively to eliminate Zhang to prevent him from shaping future leadership arrangements.

Multiple sources close to the PLA who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisal told The Epoch Times that after Zhang and Liu were placed under investigation, several CMC directives were quietly ignored at lower levels. At least two formal orders issued by the CMC General Office were reportedly not implemented, an unusual sign of dysfunction within a system built on strict obedience.

‘Anti-Xi, Pro-Party’ Strategy Collapses

Some analysts argue that Zhang’s fatal mistake was attempting to oppose Xi while still claiming to “protect the Party.” Wang He, a senior China commentator with The Epoch Times and former university lecturer, said that Zhang and his allies never openly broke with the CCP, believing they could correct the system from within.

“That path has completely failed,” Wang said. “Xi Jinping himself is the embodiment of ‘protecting the Party.’ Anyone who protects the Party will be destroyed by it.”

Wang Tiancheng, president of the New Jersey-based Institute for China’s Democratic Transition, told The Epoch Times that elite infighting is driven less by ideology than by self-preservation.

“They are not protecting the Party,” he said. “They are protecting their own power and interests. The Party is just a tool.”

Historical Parallels and Dangerous Future

Tiancheng said that Xi’s relentless purges mirror Joseph Stalin’s decimation of the Soviet military leadership before World War II—a move that left the Red Army dangerously weakened when Nazi Germany invaded.

“Xi distrusts everyone,” Wang said. “But by constantly purging senior commanders, he creates deep insecurity within the military. If a political or social crisis erupts, there is no guarantee the army will remain loyal.”

The Global Service Center for Quitting the CCP, a New York-based nonprofit that assists those who withdraw from the CCP and keeps a tally, warned in a commentary in the Chinese-language Epoch Times on Jan. 26 that China is entering what it calls a “late-stage CCP” era defined by structural decay, elite panic, and accelerating repression.

Whether the latest military purges ultimately consolidate Xi’s control or deepen institutional instability remains an open question.

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