President Xi Jinping’s fight against corruption continues to purge senior officials and army generals from the ranks of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its armed wing, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). At the end of January, it was the turn of General Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and Liu Zhenli, chief of staff of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department, who had been placed “under investigation” on charges of “serious violations of discipline and law,” terminology often used for corruption. This has been the first purge of 2026 and also a major one in terms of scope.
General Zhang was a long-time ally of Xi Jinping, since their fathers served as comrades in northwest China under Mao Zedong, making Zhang a prominent figure in the military as one of the last PLA officers with actual military combat experience, having served in the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War. Xi valued him so highly that when Zhang was due to retire in 2022, Xi had Zhang’s position in the CMC renewed for a third term, thus maintaining a very important position in the CCP’s highest military command body.
China’s political system is notoriously opaque; typically, individuals disappear for months before any official announcements are made. This time, the reaction was immediate. Just a few days after the generals disappeared, Dong Jun, the Minister of National Defence, made formal accusations against Zhang and Liu. If the accusations are substantiated, the two generals could face a secret trial in the military justice system, since the specific charges have not been made public and may never be, which would almost certainly lead to conviction and imprisonment.
The official newspaper of the People’s Liberation Army, the PLA Daily, in describing the situation, used language that presupposes the guilt of the parties, rather than merely alleging it, saying they had “seriously betrayed the trust and expectations of the Communist Party’s Central Committee” as well as “trampling on and undermining the Central Military Commission.” The PLA Daily editorial also described the investigation as a major achievement, since the two generals had “undermined and violated” the Chairman Responsibility System, implying that their actions weakened President Xi’s military authority.
The official charges have been interpreted differently by international experts and the media. The New York Times reports that General Zhang disclosed key technical data on Chinese nuclear weapons to the United States and received bribes from Li Shangfu, the former Defense Minister and member of the CMC, who was dismissed in 2023 during the ‘Rocket Force Purge’. Others believe that it may have been a failed coup to bring down Xi, as General Zhang had become too powerful after other senior army generals were dismissed in previous purges. With these last two removals, the CMC, which is the country’s highest governing military body, now has only two members of the original seven left, President Xi and Zhang Shengmin. The scale of these purges is often compared to Mao Zedong’s repression between the 1950s and 1970s.
Who is leading the world’s largest military force? The PLA leadership has been decimated over the years, and what would have been Zhang’s successor was also dismissed in earlier purges. The purges have created a void in the upper ranks of the PLA, creating the impression that the tensions over a possible invasion of Taiwan are subsiding. However, at the end of 2025, Beijing organized the largest military exercises ever seen around the island, and some experts believe that Xi is waiting until 2027, the year marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the PLA, to take military action against Taiwan.
When Xi came to power in 2012, one of his main goals was to eliminate the corruption that was then embedded in Chinese politics. However, over the years, Xi’s anti-corruption campaign was widely viewed as an excuse to eliminate potential political rivals or members of the government who did not demonstrate complete loyalty to him, leaving his allies and those closest to him unscathed, a pattern often interpreted as a sign of paranoia and political vulnerability. By accusing Zhang, Xi has also shown that even his closest allies cannot feel safe. The PLA Daily wrote that this latest action demonstrates the CCP’s “zero tolerance” approach to “punishing corruption…no matter who it is or how high their position.”
Presumably, Xi wants to restructure the leadership before the 21st National Congress of the CCP in 2027. The discussion regarding his potential successor may be addressed on this occasion, with the intention of his replacement would take over only at the end of Xi’s fourth term in 2032, or even later. In fact, some experts believe that Xi wants to continue his presidency until 2035, when he will be 82 years old, the same age Mao died. Prolonging his political position is unusual in the Chinese political hierarchy, characterised since 2002 by an informal rule, the so-called “seven up, eight down,” which holds that political officials can maintain their role until the age of 67 and must retire at 68. This rule has been implemented in a selective way, since in recent years many officials have remained in office after reaching this age. Currently, the majority of the members of the Politburo Standing Committee and the Politburo were promoted by Xi. In this way, the President is able to further concentrate power in his hands, demonstrating full support from the CCP.
The problem is that nowadays there is no designated successor, but also no obvious name that could fit as a replacement for Xi. Li Qiang, the Prime Minister, and Cai Qi, the head of the CCP’s Secretariat, would be obvious choices if it weren’t for their age, now too old. If the National Congress wants to follow the age limit rule, it would appoint, in 2032 or later, an individual who would be in their sixties, and thus likely have been a university student during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and possibly influenced by Western ideas. Currently, no one has the right age but also the right background to take over the presidency.
Written by Matilde Predieri
Recommended Further Readings
McDonell (2026) Zhang Youxia: Purge of China’s top general leaves military in crisis
Yoon (2026) Chinese Vice Chairman Jang Yu-sha Suspected of Leaking Nuclear Data to U.S.
Buckley (2026): In Xi’s China, Top General’s Fall Shows Precariousness of Power
Chu, Martina and Slodkowski (2026) ‘Nobody is safe’: China’s Xi targets his close ally in purge
Kawashima (2026) – Who Will Succeed Xi Jinping?
Jost and Mattingly (2026) – Xi Jinping’s Successor and the Future of China
Wei and Wong(2026) – China’s Top General Accused of Giving Nuclear Secrets to U.S.
Chinese, China’s military, PRC< Purge, Xi Jinping, News, Foreign Affairs, Security