Taiwan ‘Must Stay on High Alert’ Amid Beijing’s Military Purges: Expert
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Experts on China’s military say Chinese leader Xi Jinping has intensified military reshuffles to guarantee his grip of China’s armed forces as he moves toward a fourth term at the CCP’s 21st National Congress, scheduled to convene in 2027.
On Jan. 24, China’s Ministry of National Defense issued a one-sentence statement announcing that Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia and CMC member Liu Zhenli were under investigation for “serious violations of disciplines and law”—the standard Chinese Communist Party (CCP) phrase used to justify political purges.
Dozens Purged
Since the CCP’s 20th National Congress in 2022, China’s generals who have been removed span the entire PLA hierarchy—right up to a CMC vice chairman, key CMC departments, all four services (Navy, Army, Air Force, and Rocket Force), the five theater commands (East, West, South, North, and Central), and top brass at military academies. Dozens of critical posts in the Chinese military are now sitting vacant.On Jan. 24, 2026, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were removed from the CCP’s top military decision-making CMC.
On Dec. 27, 2025, the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s rubber-stamp legislature, announced termination of the NPC delegate status of CMC Political and Legal Affairs Commission Secretary Wang Renhua and Armed Police Political Commissar Zhang Hongbing. Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported that both had been missing from public view for prolonged period of time before their removal was officially confirmed.
On Oct. 17, 2025, the Defense Ministry announced that nine generals were expelled from the Party and military for “serious violations of disciplines and law,” including then-CMC Vice Chairman He Weidong, former Political Work Department Director Miao Hua, former Political Work Department executive deputy director He Hongjun, and six others.
In 2023, former CMC member and Defense Minister Li Shangfu and former Defense Minister Wei Fenghe were expelled from the CCP and the military, and were stripped of their rank as generals. The third Rocket Force Commander General Li Yuchao and his predecessor Zhou Yaning, and former Air Force Commander General Ding Laihang were also removed.
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Military Experts: Xi’s Purges Aim to Ensure Personal Loyalty
Xi has long used anti-graft as cover to purge senior officers, said analysts. On Jan. 25, the PLA Daily editorial accused Zhang and Liu of “seriously trampling and undermining the CMC Chairman Responsibility System” and fostering “political and corruption problems that seriously harm the Party’s absolute leadership over the military and threaten the Party’s ruling foundation.” Military experts see these rare accusations as signs that Xi is now publicly confronting his opponents in the PLA.Chinese-language military talk show host Mark, who does not use his surname due to safety concerns, said Xi is preparing for a fourth term at the 21st Congress and views “recovering Taiwan” as a key political goal tied to his legacy. Many generals oppose it, he said, fearing a failed invasion would collapse the regime.
“If China attacks Taiwan, it directly confronts the U.S., which could freeze their assets, cancel visas for relatives—even revoke U.S. citizenship for naturalized family members,” Mark told The Epoch Times on Jan. 2. “This hits their personal interests hard. They don’t want war with America.”
Mark added that since the United States won’t initiate conflict, Xi faces no genuine security threat. By clearing out the top brass, he can promote mid-level officers with no overseas ties or interests, creating new loyalists and offering career advancement to rebuild a compliant high command.
Taiwan’s Su Tzu-yun, a research fellow and Director at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said Xi is systematically eliminating rival factions.
Taiwan Must ‘Stay on High Alert’: Su
Su warned that Xi’s one-man dominance could make him more reckless, especially after Xi has removed much of the military command chain.“We [in Taiwan] still need to stay on high alert—he might take desperate risks,” Su said.
Mark said Xi sees a successful Taiwan invasion as essential to extending his political life. The high command’s reluctance to fight stems from fears of failure and regime collapse, so Xi is “clearing them out” to remove opposition.
The purges won’t disrupt routine training or exercises, he noted.
“The PLA won’t spiral out of control in the purges,” Mark said, adding that Xi’s restructuring is aimed at securing obedience for his own survival.
“If he thinks Taiwan is the key to his legacy, he might launch an attack regardless of the cost.”
