Beijing’s Purge of Top Military Leaders Raises Questions About Stability: Analysts

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Jan 26, 2026 - 10:48 Updated: Jan 25, 2026 - 22:21
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Beijing’s Purge of Top Military Leaders Raises Questions About Stability: Analysts

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On Jan. 24, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced investigations into two of the country’s most senior military figures—Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia and Joint Staff Department Chief Liu Zhenli—accusing them of “serious violations of discipline and law.”
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The move, rare in both speed and scale, has triggered speculation among China insiders and observers, many of whom believe it reflects not a routine anti-corruption case but a political crisis at the leadership level of the CCP’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Swift and High-Level Purge

Zhang and Liu rank among the most powerful uniformed officers in China. Zhang, a Politburo member and one of only two CMC vice chairmen, has long been considered key to Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s control over the military. Liu, a CMC member who also serves as the chief of the Joint Staff Department, oversaw operational command across the PLA.

Analysts say their sudden removal is especially striking because Zhang and Liu were publicly named within days of their apparent disappearance—suggesting that Beijing was eager to send a clear and immediate signal.

In contrast, when former CMC Vice Chairman He Weidong disappeared from public view in early 2025, the CCP waited months before formally announcing an investigation.
Earlier last week, both men had conspicuously missed the opening and closing ceremonies of a high-level political seminar for provincial- and ministerial-level officials, fueling speculation before the official announcement. Zhang’s last confirmed public appearance was on Dec. 22, 2025, when he presided over a ceremony promoting senior officers to the rank of general, reading orders signed by Xi.

Allegations of Foiled Coup

In the absence of transparency from Beijing, Chinese analysts and commentators outside of China have filled the void with competing narratives. Some allege that Zhang and Liu were involved in a failed coup attempt against Xi.
Du Wen, a former legal adviser to the Inner Mongolia government who fled China and now lives in Belgium, said on his YouTube podcast that Zhang and Liu allegedly sought to rally support within the military under the banner of “saving the Party,” only to be exposed by an internal informant. According to this account, Xi moved swiftly to neutralize them amid fears that Zhang’s allies could mobilize troops toward Beijing.

Du said that PLA units were ordered into a heightened state of readiness, with movements frozen and external communications restricted. He characterized the situation as the most tense moment in the PLA’s history since Communist China’s founding in 1949, reflecting what he described as Xi’s deep distrust of the military establishment.

U.S.-based veteran Chinese political commentator Cai Shenkun wrote on X that at least 17 senior officers in addition to Zhang had been detained in a coordinated operation involving elite security units and the Party’s top disciplinary body, calling it a “heavyweight military upheaval.”
Former U.S. National Security Adviser Michael Flynn reposted Cai’s comments, warning that apparent turmoil inside the CCP and the PLA could have direct consequences for U.S. foreign policy and military posture in the Indo-Pacific.

Betrayal From Within

Other commentators point to betrayal rather than open rebellion. Zeng Jieming, a former Chinese journalist, told The Epoch Times that the sudden announcement underscored the extreme volatility of elite politics under Xi.

“Xi Jinping’s deep-seated suspicion closely resembles that of [former Chinese dictator] Mao Zedong,” he said.

A popular Taiwanese YouTuber known as “Pa Chiung,” who has nearly 1.3 million followers, said that Zhang believed his plans were secure, only to be betrayed by someone close to him. According to this account, Xi launched a preemptive purge once the alleged plot was exposed.
Pa Chiung said that the rapid official announcement itself was revealing. If the case were merely about corruption, he said, the CCP would likely have delayed disclosure, as they had in past cases. Instead, Beijing appeared intent on intimidating potential allies, wavering factions, and civilian officials who might have been considering alignment with Zhang’s camp.

Strategic Implications

Beyond the CCP’s infighting, analysts diverge sharply on what the purge means for regional security—especially across the Taiwan Strait.

Zeng warned that Xi’s consolidation of power could accelerate plans for military action against Taiwan, as removing senior figures with battlefield experience may leave fewer voices willing or able to challenge risky decisions on professional grounds.

Pa Chiung went further, arguing that the destruction of what he described as an anti-Xi faction could push China toward internal instability, even civil conflict, while simultaneously sharpening Xi’s focus on “national unification” with Taiwan as a unifying objective.

Beijing has long viewed Taiwan as a part of China, despite Taiwan’s status as a self-governing island.

Despite the dramatic allegations circulating online, some analysts cautioned against overinterpreting the CCP’s infighting. Zeng said that elite power struggles, regardless of outcome, are unlikely to alleviate the suffering of the Chinese people or fundamentally change the nature of the CCP’s authoritarian rule.

“Whoever comes to power would still be deeply bound to the CCP,”  he said. “Only the overthrow of the CCP can truly change China.”

Fang Xiao, Luo Ya, and Tang Bing contributed to this report.
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