Beijing’s Critical Week: Is Xi Losing Control of the PLA?

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Only one week remains before the CCP’s annual “Two Sessions,” the most important political gathering of the year — and Beijing is entering it under extraordinary tension. After the sudden arrest of Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia and CMC member Liu Zhenli, the Chinese military has been shaken at its core. Yet the Politburo has not formally endorsed the move, and the National People’s Congress has not stripped Zhang of his delegate status — a crucial procedural step. At the same time, nine senior generals across the Army, Navy, Air Force, Rocket Force, and Information Support Force have been purged in a sweeping cross-service crackdown. Is this decisive consolidation — or evidence of internal resistance? With just one week before the Two Sessions begin, three hard indicators will reveal whether Xi Jinping truly controls the PLA — or whether the system is quietly jamming at the top.

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