By Li Jingyao, Vision Times
In recent days, reports surrounding the downfall of Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia and Joint Staff Department Chief Liu Zhenli have flooded online platforms. According to multiple sources, the situation both inside China’s military and Communist Party (CCP) is fraught with tension.
Movements across major theater commands have reportedly been restricted, while Chinese President and CCP leader Xi Jinping is said to have dispatched a special task force to the Northern Theater Command to prevent interference from Zhang’s network. Additional disclosures suggest the case is far from over, with officers promoted under Zhang now fearing a widening purge.
RELATED: Zhang Youxia Reportedly Detained, Signaling Deeper Xi-Led PLA Purge
Military lockdowns
Global Vice President of the Federation for a Democratic China Sheng Xue revealed in an overseas media interview that internal controls across China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have sharply tightened. “Right now, across the CCP’s major theater commands, personnel are basically not allowed to move,” said Sheng. “Even senior officers who had planned to travel have had all trips canceled. At the very least, this shows the situation is extremely, extremely serious.”
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Sheng emphasized that Zhang Youxia’s downfall does not resemble a routine anti-corruption case but rather a political purge tied directly to regime security.
“The language used by the CCP isn’t about graft or disciplinary violations, it’s about loyalty to the supreme leadership, political allegiance, political stance. You’re accused of being anti-Party, anti-state, anti-commander-in-chief. That’s the most serious crime there is,” said Sheng. “If Zhang Youxia is charged this way, it means there must have been concrete actions — conspiracy, rebellion, a coup attempt. Unfortunately for him, it failed.”
Task force deployed
According to a Jan. 25 “Wall Street Journal” report citing informed sources, Xi Jinping has dispatched a special investigation team to Shenyang, headquarters of the Northern Theater Command, to probe Zhang Youxia’s conduct during his tenure as commander of the former Shenyang Military Region (2007–2012).
Notably, the team is reportedly staying in local hotels rather than military facilities to avoid interference from Zhang’s allies. Officers promoted during the same period as Zhang and Liu have allegedly been placed under monitoring, with mobile phones and communication devices confiscated.
RELATED: Zhang Youxia Accused of Leaking China’s Nuclear Secrets to the United States
The report further claims Zhang is accused of leaking information on China’s nuclear weapons planning to the United States, accepting bribes tied to promotions, including cases involving former defense minister Li Shangfu, and forming factions that undermined unity within the Central Military Commission.
“Wall Street Journal” reporter Lingling Wei wrote on X that the case “is far from over.” Under Zhang and Liu’s leadership, thousands of officers were promoted, many of whom now believe they are targets of a systematic purge, creating widespread fear and instability.
These claims closely mirror disclosures from Du Wen, former executive director of the Legal Advisory Office of the Inner Mongolia regional government, who stated that the entire PLA has entered Level-One combat readiness: “All personnel have returned to their posts. External communications are cut off. Phones have been confiscated, and centralized political study sessions are underway.”
Du added that the PLA General Staff command system has been suspended, replaced by direct CMC command via encrypted telegrams.
Alleged coup attempt left Xi ‘terrified’
Though the CCP officially announced investigations into Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli on Jan. 24, Sheng Xue said she received confirmation of Zhang’s arrest earlier from a mainland source identified as Mr. X. According to the account: “Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli planned to arrest Xi Jinping on the night of Jan. 18. Xi was staying at the Jingxi Hotel. But the plan was leaked two hours before it happened.”
RELATED: Zhang Youxia Reportedly Detained, Signaling Deeper Xi-Led PLA Purge
Unaware the plot had been exposed, Zhang’s advance personnel reportedly proceeded, reportedly triggering an armed clash at the Jingxi Hotel with forces loyal to Xi. “Xi often stays at the Jingxi Hotel, then suddenly moves to Zhongnanhai or elsewhere. He rarely stays in one place two nights in a row,” the source revealed. “People online say Xi was baiting Zhang, it’s partly true. Once Xi learned of the plan two hours earlier, he moved immediately to arrest Zhang and Liu, and their families were detained right away.”
Mr. X said the incident deeply shook Xi: “This scared Xi badly. His mother and sister found out and were terrified. They were staying at the Shenzhen Guesthouse, which was immediately put under lockdown with heavy security.” He added, “Zhang Youxia was forced into rebellion. Xi has been purging nonstop — no one can cooperate with him in good faith anymore.”
Sheng Xue noted that Xi has reportedly purged 79 generals at or above the rank of lieutenant general, effectively crippling the PLA: “He has destroyed his own military. I don’t believe the PLA now has the capacity to attack Taiwan.”
Who betrayed Zhang and Liu?
Speculation continues over who tipped off Xi. Online rumors suggest Zhang Shengmin, accompanied by elements of the Central Guard Bureau, opened the CMC gates and assisted special police units in arresting Zhang Youxia and 17 senior generals, leading analysts to suspect Zhang Shengmin betrayed Zhang and Liu.
Multiple reports indicate Xi trusts no one. Beyond Zhang and Liu, numerous senior figures are rumored to have been detained, including:
- Beijing Garrison deputy political commissar Wang Xianglong
- Senior Air Force and Army commanders
- Officials from the Academy of Military Sciences
- Political commissars and deputy commanders from the Central and Western Theater Commands
Unconfirmed reports also claim Liao Xilong, Zhang Youxia’s former superior in his 80s, died at Beijing’s 301 Hospital, allegedly by suicide after being implicated. Following the arrests, only Xi Jinping and Zhang Shengmin remain on the Central Military Commission. Commentator Zhang Tianliang warned: “Zhang Shengmin now effectively runs daily CMC operations, which makes him extremely vulnerable. I think Zhang Shengmin may be next. Overseas, there’s even talk of a resignation letter.”
A Bloomberg report cited Jonathan Czin of the Brookings Institution: “The situation is clear now, regardless of their relationship with Xi Jinping, no one at the top is safe. This marks a dramatic transformation in Chinese politics under Xi.”
‘Whoever tries to save the CCP will fall’
Independent producer Li Jun, speaking on Elite Forum, argued that Xi appeared cooperative with the so-called “Central Decision-Making Coordination Mechanism,” but was in fact “playing dumb to strike later.”
“Xi still controls Wang Xiaohong at the Ministry of Public Security, Cai Qi’s Central Guard Bureau, and Chen Yiqing’s state security apparatus. Zhang Youxia may have thought removing He Weidong and Miao Hua made him safe. He didn’t expect to fall to the public security special police.”
RELATED: Confirmed: Xi Jinping Purges Top PLA Commanders as Military Turmoil and Taiwan War Fears Mount
Veteran journalist Guo Jun concluded: “Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli are the outcome. Zhong Shaojun is the real indicator. If Zhong reemerges in a key role, it means Xi has completely broken with the Party elders and the system itself. That would be institutional rupture, and the purge will only grow more brutal.”
Li Jun likened the situation to the late Ming Dynasty: “Chongzhen replaced every general capable of defending the dynasty, accelerating its collapse. Some still hope to save the CCP through reform, but fate placed an ‘unfinished emperor’ and a ‘chief accelerator’ at the helm.”
He added, “The message is clear: Heaven intends to destroy the CCP. Whoever tries to save it will fall with it.”
