By Li Jingyao, Vision Times
Since the second half of last year, rumors have persistently circulated that Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping is losing control of the military. Beyond speculation, a growing body of evidence — from changes within state media, to shifts in military media coverage, to recent command appointments — suggests Xi’s grip on military power is waning and his authority eroding.
Analysts argue Xi made a “critical misstep” that ultimately placed him in today’s increasingly vulnerable position within China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). For years, slogans such as “Follow Chairman Xi’s command, be responsible to Chairman Xi, and reassure Chairman Xi” and “the CMC chairman responsibility system” dominated headlines in PLA Daily and the military’s official website.
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Military media quietly downgrades Xi
Since last year’s Third Plenum, these slogans have gradually faded, until disappearing altogether. They have been replaced by language emphasizing “democratic centralism,” “the Party commands the gun,” and “collective leadership.”
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This shift has become more pronounced in recent weeks. According to commentator Mei Lingshuang, writing in People’s News, military media that once centered almost exclusively on Xi Jinping have begun prioritizing general military reporting, while Xi-related coverage is deliberately relegated to secondary positions.
On Dec. 29, the military website’s lead headline featured a historical series titled “Hot Blood From the Same Source Nourishes the Land,” while articles such as “In-Depth Study and Implementation of Xi Jinping’s Important Thought on the Party’s Self-Revolution” were pushed down — an arrangement unthinkable several years ago.
A similar pattern appeared on Dec. 28, when a PLA Daily commentator article on political rectification led the page, while a Xi-related National People’s Congress report was sidelined. Mei noted that while Politburo meetings still receive prominent placement, coverage of Xi himself has been consistently weakened.
A reshuffling of power
Xi’s diminishing status is also evident in articles published by institutions devoted to promoting “Xi Jinping Thought.” A Dec. 29 article titled “Advancing the Rule of Law in the Military,” authored by a researcher from the National Defense University’s Xi Thought Research Center, notably avoided mentioning Xi in its opening. Instead, it began by crediting “the Party Central Committee.”
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But Xi’s name appeared only once later in the article, which analysts say was intentional: “We must deeply study and thoroughly understand Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law.”
Mei Lingshuang pointed out that in earlier years, “Chairman Xi” would never appear after “the Party Central Committee,” highlighting a subtle but meaningful shift in hierarchy. Xi’s declining authority is further reflected in recent theater-command appointments.
Waning influence
On Dec. 22, Yang Zhibin was promoted to commander of the Eastern Theater Command. Unlike the rapid promotions once enjoyed by Xi loyalists, Yang’s ascent took 14 years from major general to full general. Similarly, Han Shengyan, newly promoted commander of the Central Theater Command, took 16 years to reach the same rank.
Tung Li-wen, executive director of the Asia-Pacific Peace Research Foundation, noted that neither officer shows clear factional alignment. Ironically, this suggests Xi is losing his ability to shape military leadership, rather than consolidating it. “These officers were effectively frozen during Xi’s tenure,” Tung said, concluding they are “certainly not Xi’s people.”
Xi’s ‘fatal misstep’
Australian-based legal scholar Yuan Hongbing told Vision Times that Xi Jinping is living in “extreme anxiety” after taking several “fatal missteps.” While senior generals have openly fallen from favor, Yuan warned that Xi’s greater concern lies with the vast number of mid-level officers whose loyalty remains uncertain. Political commentator “Wall-Inside Ordinary Person” identified Xi’s decisive mistake as placing his wife, Peng Liyuan, in charge of military cadre evaluations.
A May 2024 report by Sing Tao Daily revealed that Peng served as a full-time member of the Central Military Commission Cadre Evaluation Committee, an organ tasked with enforcing the chairman responsibility system and overseeing promotions.
According to the commentator, Xi believed that purging figures like Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe would intimidate Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia into submission. Instead, Peng’s involvement became, in his words, “the most humiliating provocation,” turning Zhang into Xi’s sworn adversary.
He claimed Zhang subsequently dismantled Xi’s military “iron triangle,” consisting of Zhong Shaojun, He Weidong, and Miao Hua, and oversaw arrests of more than a dozen generals and lieutenant generals from the Fujian-based 31st Army. “By March 2025,” he noted, “Xi Jinping had completely lost control of the CCP’s armed forces.”
Editorial note: This article is based on publicly circulating reports and commentary from independent analysts. The claims described have not been independently verified by Vision Times, and relevant authorities have not publicly confirmed the allegations.
