The Loneliest Man in Zhongnanhai: Xi Jinping’s Purges and the Price of Absolute Power |
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has unleashed yet another seismic purge in the People’s Liberation Army, removing two of its highest-ranking commanders: Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Gen. Zhang Youxia and CMC member Gen. Liu Zhenli. Announced in late January 2026, this move has reduced the once seven-member CMC—China’s supreme military authority—to just two: Xi himself as chairman and the remaining vice chairman, Gen. Zhang Shengmin.
Since seizing power in 2012, Xi has justified wave after wave of dismissals under the banner of “anti-corruption.” Early purges were widely seen as tools to eliminate rivals and consolidate control. After abolishing presidential term limits in 2018, many assumed the storm had passed. Instead, it has intensified, now targeting those Xi himself elevated—especially in the military.
Mao Zedong’s famous dictum that “political power grows out of the barrel of a gun” underscores the PLA’s centrality to Chinese Communist Party rule. The CMC oversees all branches of the armed forces, and the party’s general secretary has always doubled as its chairman to guarantee loyalty. For generals, the vice chairmanship represents the pinnacle of a career.
Unlike Mao or Deng Xiaoping, who fought the revolutionary war, Xi has no military combat experience. This outsider status has fueled persistent insecurity, particularly the fear of a coup. Between March 2023 and now, Xi has dismissed more than 20 senior generals, including two former defense ministers and multiple CMC vice chairmen—all on........