By Xiao Ran, Vision Times
Just days before the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Fourth Plenary Session, an unprecedented military purge has sent shockwaves through Beijing’s political and defense landscape. According to official and independent reports, nine top generals and 24 senior officers — most of them personally promoted by Xi Jinping — have been removed or placed under investigation, marking the largest military shakeup in China’s recent history.
Analysts say the move signals not only escalating “factional infighting” but also the possible unraveling of the power structure that has underpinned Xi’s iron-fisted rule for over a decade.
A purge of historical proportions
On Oct. 17, China’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) officially announced the expulsion of nine generals from both the Party and the military. The list included Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) He Weidong, Political Work Department head Miao Hua, and several top commanders overseeing critical branches of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Their alleged crimes: “serious violations of discipline and law.”
The next day, Oct. 18, the MND confirmed that another 24 generals had been dismissed from their posts, including Zhong Shaojun, once Xi Jinping’s powerful personal secretary and director of the CMC General Office.
Success
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Success
Check your email to complete sign up
The sweep touched nearly every branch of China’s armed forces — the Rocket Force, Navy, Air Force, Army, and People’s Armed Police — as well as the CMC itself. The depth and reach of the purge are unparalleled in CCP history.
Independent commentator Cai Shenkun later revealed that “an additional four sitting generals, including Equipment Development Minister Xu Xueqiang, have fallen, with at least 100 more currently under review.” He described it as “the near-total collapse of Xi’s so-called ‘personal army.’”
According to multiple reports, two of the purged generals — He Weidong and He Hongjun — have since died under mysterious circumstances, officially described as “heart failure” and “suicide.”
Days before the Fourth Plenum
The timing of the political shake-up has fueled intense speculation among political analysts. The Fourth Plenary Session, held from Oct. 21 to 23, is a crucial leadership meeting often used to consolidate or transfer power. Observers noted that the mass purge came just before the Plenum, where rumors of Xi’s “loss of authority” had already been circulating.
RELATED: Zhang Shengmin Tapped as Vice Chairman of China’s Military Commission
At the previous session in July, unverified reports claimed that Xi collapsed publicly and was briefly incapacitated, triggering a temporary power vacuum. This latest move, analysts argue, could either represent a desperate attempt to reassert control — or the beginning of Xi’s political endgame.
Political commentator Fang Wei, host of “Fang Wei Time,” described the crackdown as “the inevitable collapse of Xi’s patronage-based power model.”
He traced the crisis to a rift between Xi Jinping and his longtime ally, CMC Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia.
According to Fang, their relationship — once cemented by family ties and mutual trust — has now turned into open hostility. “Xi’s governance relied on two pillars,” Fang said. “The ‘Fujian clique’ that controls the military, and the ‘Zhejiang faction’ that runs the Party. Under pressure at home and abroad, both have fractured.”
‘Loyalty over competence’
Fang outlined how Xi filled the PLA’s senior ranks with officers from the Fujian-based 31st Group Army, his former power base during the 1990s. These included He Weidong, Miao Hua, Lin Xiangyang, Qin Shutang, Wang Xiubin, and Wang Chunning — all later purged or investigated. “Xi’s obsession with loyalty over competence created a brittle hierarchy,” Fang said. “His system was stable only as long as everyone benefited. Once fear replaced trust, the network collapsed.”
RELATED: Beijing in Crisis: Xi Jinping Faces Silent Revolt as Fourth Plenum Opens
He also detailed the Zhang Youxia connection: the veteran general’s father, Zhang Zongxun, was a close comrade of Xi’s father, Xi Zhongxun, both hailing from Shaanxi Province. Xi once viewed Zhang as “one of his own.” Yet three key events reportedly shattered their alliance:
- The 2023 nuclear submarine disaster: A classified incident in the Yellow Sea that killed 55 crew members. Responsibility pointed to the Equipment Department, implicating Zhang’s network.
- The Rocket Force corruption scandal: Dozens of officers tied to Zhang’s orbit were arrested, leading to He Weidong’s rise at Zhang’s expense.
- Civilian interference in the military: Xi’s personal secretary, Zhong Shaojun, and even First Lady Peng Liyuan allegedly meddled in personnel decisions, angering Zhang and other senior officers.
Fang noted that the July Plenum power vacuum gave Zhang an opening to act. He allegedly rallied senior military and Party elders, including Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao, and Li Ruihuan, to form a provisional “Central Decision Coordination Body” resembling a shadow Politburo (China’s top ruling body).
Fang likened it to China’s 1976 “palace coup” that toppled the Gang of Four after Mao’s death.
He claimed that armed confrontations may have occurred, leading to the mysterious disappearance of several generals. “This purge before the Fourth Plenum is Zhang’s warning shot,” said Fang. “He’s ensuring that when votes are cast, the Party falls in line for a peaceful transfer — or face chaos.”
An ‘open split’ within the Party
Analyst Tang Jingyuan called the purge a “magnitude-nine political earthquake,” focusing on state media’s irregular coverage as evidence of a divided CCP. “Normally, Xinhua leads, followed by People’s Daily and CCTV News,” Tang explained. “This time, the Ministry of Defense went first — at 5:15 p.m. — and People’s Daily buried the story on page six. CCTV News ignored it entirely for two consecutive days. That’s unheard of.”
Tang argued that the unusual reporting sequence showed “two competing centers of power.”
“The military wanted the world to know the purge happened,” he said, “while the propaganda system tried to suppress it.”
He described the disciplinary wording — “expelled from the Party pending Plenum ratification” — as a “decapitation first, approval later” maneuver, bypassing Xi’s formal sign-off.
“It was a direct challenge,” Tang said. “A message that Xi is no longer in control.”
Tang predicted three possible outcomes following the Plenum:
- Forced resignation: Party elders and Zhang Youxia compel Xi to step down.
- Military coercion: Zhang uses direct control of the armed forces to remove Xi.
- Temporary compromise: Xi stays on symbolically until the 21st Party Congress, with real power shifting behind the scenes.
Tang called the coming days “the most dangerous moment in CCP history since 1989.”
A ‘dictator’s dillema’
Exiled Tiananmen leader and Dialogue China founder Wang Dan took a broader view, describing the purge as “a textbook case of a dictator’s dilemma.” He argued that the campaign reflects Xi’s paradoxical need to eliminate threats to prove his dominance, even if doing so weakens his regime. “Xi’s rule is stable but not secure,” Wang said. “He destroys potential rivals to show control, but each purge deepens fear and distrust — the seeds of his own downfall.”
Wang also noted that while the purge targeted Xi’s own loyalists, it doesn’t necessarily mean he has lost control. “The CCP’s top priority is still stability,” he said. “No faction wants a political collapse amid economic stagnation, Taiwan tensions, and global isolation.”
He called corruption “a structural feature, not a moral failure,” arguing that the PLA’s opaque budgets and patronage networks make true reform impossible. “Xi can’t end corruption without dismantling the system that keeps him in power,” said Wang.
Highest stakes
Despite differing perspectives, all three commentators agreed: this is not a mere anti-corruption drive—it’s a political reckoning. The scale of the purge and its proximity to the Fourth Plenum suggest a major realignment within the CCP’s top leadership.
If Xi is sidelined or forced to step down, analysts believe pro-U.S. moderates like Hu Chunhua or Wang Yang could gain influence, steering policy toward economic pragmatism and diplomacy. But if Xi resists, the Party could plunge into deeper infighting, risking “controlled chaos” within the military and beyond.
Fang Wei described the crisis as Xi’s “ultimate test,” arguing that his reliance on personal loyalty has now become the very source of his regime’s collapse.
Editorial Note: Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Vision Times.
