CCP’s First Official Response to Purges Reveals Lack of Confidence in Military Capabilities: Analysts

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The Chinese communist regime on Jan. 28 provided its first official response to the ousting of two top generals after days of unusual silence.

Zhang Han, spokeswoman for the CCP’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said the case once again demonstrates that the CCP and the Central Military Commission are committed to “combating corruption without restrictions, comprehensively, and with zero tolerance,” adding that it is an important manifestation of the CCP and its military’s “determination and strength.”

The spokeswoman was responding to a question at a press conference of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the CCP’s State Council four days after Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the CCP’s Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli, a member of the Central Military Commission and chief of the Joint Staff Department, had been removed from their positions and placed under investigation.

Analysts told The Epoch Times that the regime spokesperson’s vague response shows the impact of the purge on the Chinese military’s capabilities and the ongoing infighting within the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) top echelon.

At the press conference, a reporter asked the spokeswoman how Zhang and Liu’s removal and the turmoil at the top of the People’s Liberation Army will affect cross-strait relations.

Zhang Han kept her head down while flipping through documents before providing a generic answer, repeating the CCP’s stance on Taiwan, saying it was “striving for peaceful reunification,“ but ”never promising to renounce the use of force.”

After the press conference, the transcript on the Taiwan Affairs Office’s official website was scrubbed of references to Zhang Youxia and Liu, and the only mention was a reference to “personnel changes among high-ranking military officials on the mainland.”

The Chinese regime’s official media has been unusually quiet about the incident, after the PLA Daily, the official mouthpiece of the People’s Liberation Army, published an editorial on Jan. 24 criticizing Zhang and Liu for “seriously violating and undermining the system of responsibility under the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and endangering the foundation of the CCP’s rule.”

U.S.-based current affairs commentator Li Linyi told The Epoch Times that the spokeswoman clearly lacked confidence when answering the question, which corresponds to the unusual circumstances surrounding the CCP’s shift to a low-key approach the day after announcing the downfall of Zhang and Liu.

Dissident Wu Renhua wrote on X, “When a Taiwanese journalist asked a question about Zhang, the spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office flipped through her notebook, couldn’t find the answer, and then gave a completely irrelevant response.”

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Regarding the spokeswoman’s attempt to downplay the incident from political power struggle to anti-corruption, Ding Shuh-fan, professor emeritus of the Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, told The Epoch Times that “corruption is merely a convenient excuse.”

He said that Zhang’s case is a political issue. “Zhang Youxia and Xi Jinping had ideological disagreements, and ultimately Xi Jinping could no longer tolerate Zhang Youxia, so he had him arrested.”

Weakened Military

This latest personnel shake-up has reduced the number of members on the CCP’s Central Military Commission from seven to just two: Chairman Xi and Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin, who was just recently appointed.

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Zhang Youxia (front) swears an oath with members of the Central Military Commission after they were elected during the fourth plenary session of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11, 2023. Greg Baker/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

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Ding said the response from the CCP’s Taiwan Affairs Office about “determination and strength” is inconsistent with the facts. He said that almost the entire Central Military Commission of the CCP is vacant, with the commanders and political commissars of the army, navy, air force, and rocket force, as well as several military regions, all currently without appointed leaders after the previous leaders were removed by Xi.

“This complete personnel vacuum will continue for a considerable period,” Ding said.

He believes that how Xi will lead the military in the future has become a major problem. “Because there is a lack of trust between them, how will they work together in the future?” he said. “This could very likely lead to a situation where military officials, like many local officials who have been purged, might simply become passive. The consequences are actually very serious.”

Taiwanese military commentator Qi Leyi told The Epoch Times that the Taiwan Affairs Office is merely an implementing body and may not be aware of the power struggles among top CCP leaders. “Therefore, Zhang Han’s remarks were nothing special, and her statement that they would never give up the use of force over Taiwan was nothing new.”

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Taiwan military personnel rappel down from a Black Hawk helicopter during a spring military exercise in Taichung on January 27, 2026. I-Hwa Cheng / AFP via Getty Images

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Regarding the shake-up within the Chinese military, Taiwanese Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo stated on Jan. 26 during an interview at the Legislative Yuan that Taiwan is closely monitoring the shakeup among high-ranking officials in the CCP, its government, and military. He emphasized that despite the high-level purges within the CCP, the Taiwanese military will not let down its guard.

Analysts have also warned of the CCP’s infiltration of Taiwan.

Qi said that Taiwan has indeed been heavily infiltrated by the CCP for a long time.

Ding added that, “for Beijing, the best approach would be to achieve Taiwan’s surrender without a fight through extensive infiltration.”

He said that counter-infiltration has now become a key focus of Taiwan’s security.

Ning Haizhong and Gu Xiaohua contributed to this report.

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