Assessing the Scope and Impacts of Xi’s Military Purges

Xi's Widening Military Purge

Xi Jinping's campaign against corruption and disloyalty in the People's Liberation Army has escalated dramatically in early 2026. On January 24, China's Ministry of National Defence announced investigations into General Zhang Youxia, the senior vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and General Liu Zhenli, chief of the Joint Staff Department. Zhang, long viewed as Xi's most trusted military confidant and a veteran with rare combat experience from the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War, had been exempted from retirement rules to remain in post. Their removal follows earlier dismissals, including CMC vice-chairman He Weidong and Political Work Department head Miao Hua in 2025, defense ministers Li Shangfu in 2024 and predecessors in prior years, and Rocket Force leaders in 2023.

The CMC, China's supreme military decision-making body typically comprising seven members with Xi as chairman, now effectively consists of only Xi and the remaining vice-chairman, Zhang Shengmin, who oversees discipline investigations. This hollowing out stems from successive purges that have targeted dozens of senior officers across services and procurement sectors, often linked to corruption in equipment and missiles but increasingly justified as failures in political loyalty and undermining Xi's authority.

The timing stands out: the January action came mere months after a sweeping October 2025 wave, without alignment to major party events, suggesting acute urgency. With the PLA's modernization deadline set for 2027—explicitly tied in U.S. assessments to readiness for a Taiwan contingency—and the PLA's centenary approaching, Xi appears determined to eliminate any perceived obstacles to full control and ideological alignment.

Non-obvious tensions emerge here. While purges consolidate Xi's personal power, echoing Mao-era rectification, they also erode institutional expertise: purged figures include many with operational experience, potentially weakening readiness despite rhetoric of strengthening the military. Reports indicate widespread anxiety among remaining generals, with some avoiding leave during Lunar New Year for fear of sudden investigation. This creates trade-offs between ironclad political control and effective military performance, where loyalty trumps competence, and power vacuums invite paralysis or misjudgment in crises involving Taiwan or the South China Sea.

The stakes extend beyond China's borders. A PLA hampered by internal distrust and leadership gaps could heighten risks of escalation through poor coordination or overcompensation, even as Xi's moves signal no immediate tolerance for dissent in pursuit of long-term goals.