By Yang Hao
British psychic Hamilton-Parker recently said that a senior Chinese military figure would mysteriously disappear or be purged in 2026.
On Jan. 24, Chinese authorities announced the detention of Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli, chief of the People’s Liberation Army Joint Staff Department.
An editorial published by the PLA Daily accused Zhang of undermining the system of responsibility under the CMC chairman, threatening the Party’s absolute control over the military, and endangering the foundations of CCP rule. Some observers say Zhang had, at one point, effectively sidelined Xi Jinping within the military.
Parker further claimed that Xi would face a life-threatening health crisis in 2026, leading to a loss of control. He described the CCP as undergoing a “glacial collapse,” marked by slow-forming cracks that would eventually lead to irreversible disintegration.
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A prophecy involving a senior military figure
Hamilton-Parker has previously claimed to have accurately predicted four consecutive U.S. presidential elections, Brexit, and a global disease outbreak.
In a video released on Nov. 20, 2025, he said he sensed that a very high-ranking CCP official, possibly from the military or security apparatus at a level equivalent to the Politburo Standing Committee, would suddenly vanish or be purged.
According to Parker, the individual would be removed from the world stage without explanation. Two months later, commentators said the prediction appeared to align with developments involving Zhang Youxia.
Parker later asserted that the individual had died, under highly unusual circumstances.
Claims that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were assassinated
On Jan. 27, a self-media account known as “Ordinary People Inside the Firewall” claimed that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were not detained but assassinated.
The account alleged that on the morning of Jan. 20, unidentified armed personnel attacked them at the Central Party School, killing their guards on the spot and leaving both men severely wounded before they were carried away. Their fate remains unknown.
Pro-democracy activist Tang Boqiao said the case has not yet been conclusively resolved and that factions are still disputing the legality of the operation.
Belief in prophecy and fears within the leadership
Rumors have circulated that Xi Jinping suffered a stroke in July 2024 and temporarily lost control, forming an alliance with Party elders. During that period, Zhang Youxia was said to have formally taken control of military power, leaving many of Xi’s close associates vulnerable.
Political commentator Li Zhengkuan said on Jan. 30 that Xi’s decision to take such extreme and risky measures was driven not only by the need to reclaim military authority, but also by deep-seated fear rooted in his belief in prophecies.
A 2011 U.S. diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks stated that Xi believed in Buddhist supernatural forces, qigong, and other mystical practices.
Veteran media figure Tang Hao said on the Crossroads program that Xi’s purge of Zhang Youxia had already been foretold in the ancient prophecy text Tui Bei Tu.
The 46th image of Tui Bei Tu describes a military figure “bearing a bow,” an ambush involving a “golden blade,” and a warrior entering the imperial palace from a rear gate. Some interpret this as a prediction of a palace coup led by the military.
According to these interpretations, Xi deeply believes in Tui Bei Tu and first targeted the Rocket Force because the character for “bow” (弓) appears in its name.
Former premier Li Keqiang, whose name also contains the “bow” component, died suddenly not long after retirement. Zhang Youxia, whose name likewise includes the character, then became the next target.
Liu Zhenli was also linked to the prophecy. The traditional form of the character “Liu” can be broken down into elements interpreted as “gold” and “blade,” which some claim corresponds to the “hidden golden sword” referenced in the text.
Eliminating opposition ahead of the 21st Party Congress
Political commentator Zhang Tianliang said Xi’s urgent move against Zhang Youxia served one purpose: eliminating potential opposition before the 21st Party Congress.
If Zhang had opposed Xi’s continued rule, it could have affected decisions made by the Politburo Standing Committee, which resolves major issues behind closed doors while Party congresses serve as formalities.
With 2026 viewed as a pivotal year for reshuffling provincial leadership and finalizing Central Committee candidates, Zhang said Xi needed to secure military loyalty before the Fifth Plenum.
According to Zhang, the arrest was intended to create fear. If even a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission with close personal ties to Xi could be taken down, few others would dare to resist.
Zhang said Xi had sought to remove Zhang Youxia as early as 2023. Resistance from Zhang, who allegedly countered by bringing down figures such as Miao Hua and He Weidong, temporarily delayed the plan, but the objective never changed.
Strategic disputes over Taiwan and military readiness
The Jamestown Foundation recently reported that the latest round of PLA purges was not simply an anti-corruption campaign, but was closely linked to disagreements between Zhang Youxia and Xi over military strategy.
According to the report, Zhang pushed for a pace of joint-operations training that did not align with Xi’s demand that the PLA be ready for a Taiwan invasion by 2027. This was viewed as resistance to Xi’s directives.
As the final annual training cycle before 2027 began this January, planning-level disagreements reportedly evolved into operational non-compliance, posing a direct challenge to Xi’s authority within the military.
The report concluded that the removal of Zhang and Liu reflected Xi’s effort to tighten personal control over the armed forces by placing political loyalty above professional judgment. While this could increase internal instability, it does not alter the 2027 Taiwan timeline.
Former U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan, speaking on a podcast with former deputy adviser Kurt Campbell, recalled a 2024 meeting with Zhang Youxia.
Sullivan said that although Zhang was regarded as Xi’s ally, he did not see himself as a subordinate. Zhang spoke with confidence and candor, and held views on U.S.–China relations that differed from those of Chinese diplomats and even Xi himself.
Sources said Zhang repeatedly warned against immediate military action. He cited Taiwan’s advanced defenses, the high likelihood of intervention by the United States, Japan, Australia, and the Five Eyes alliance, and the PLA’s limited capacity for sustained warfare. Xi reportedly viewed these assessments as undermining morale.
Former U.S. Defense Department official Drew Thompson said Zhang was one of the few commanders capable of offering Xi objective, professional advice, and that his removal significantly increases the risk of miscalculation in the Taiwan Strait.
Thompson said that among all active PLA generals, Zhang was the only one able to provide Xi with the most objective and professional advice, including candid assessments of the PLA’s shortcomings and the human cost of war.
Succession rumors and allegations of hereditary power
Commentator Tang Hao said that beyond military power and policy disputes, a critical factor behind the Xi–Zhang rupture was Xi’s attempt to pre-arrange a successor and shift power toward his own family, effectively establishing a hereditary system.
Overseas commentator Sheng Xue said the core conflict was not corruption, but succession. She claimed Xi intended to install an illegitimate son as his successor, a move Zhang firmly opposed.
Another analyst, known as “New Highland,” said the struggle represented a direct clash between hereditary and anti-hereditary forces. He alleged that Xi had secretly groomed a son since 2018, rapidly promoting him from deputy bureau level to full ministerial rank along a career path mirroring Xi’s own.
Additional rumors suggest that Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong gained favor for assisting with the child’s care during Xi’s time in Fujian, though the individual groomed for succession was said to be a different child.
Legal scholar Yuan Hongbing, now in exile in Australia, said Premier Li Qiang had long lived in Hong Kong and was entrusted with caring for one of Xi’s sons, earning Xi’s trust.
These claims remain unverified.
Yuan said that from Mao Zedong’s attempt to pass power to his nephew Mao Yuanxin, to the Kim family’s hereditary rule in North Korea, communist dictators tend to trust blood ties above all else.
One of the most persistent rumors concerns Hua Guofeng, Mao’s designated successor who was later sidelined by Party elders. Some claim Hua was Mao’s illegitimate son.
A vanished journalist and a three-year trail of warnings
Drew Thompson said he had heard rumors of Zhang Youxia being investigated since 2023.
On Jan. 26, Thompson released a three-year-old WhatsApp screenshot involving Minnie Chan, a senior military correspondent for the South China Morning Post, who disappeared after attending the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing in October 2023.
The screenshot showed Thompson asking Chan on Sept. 21, 2023, whether Zhang Youxia and Zhang Shengmin were in trouble and under investigation. Chan replied with a single word: “yes.”
Thompson said most of Chan’s chat history had been deleted, leaving that message as the sole surviving record.
He said that at the time, he believed Zhang’s extensive combat experience, lifetime service to the Party, and long-standing relationship with Xi might allow certain financial irregularities to be overlooked.
A military purge and rising instability
Yu Maochun, former China adviser to the U.S. State Department during the Trump administration, wrote in The Washington Post on January 30 that in communist dictatorships, the greatest crime is not corruption or incompetence, but keeping the supreme leader awake at night.
Data cited by overseas analysts show that of the 81 full generals promoted by Xi Jinping, 16 have been officially removed and at least 23 have disappeared.
Since the 20th Party Congress, a total of 28 full generals have fallen or vanished. Ahead of the Fourth Plenum, nine were announced in a single batch, including He Weidong and Miao Hua.
After the Zhang Youxia case, active-duty full generals were described as “nearly wiped out,” with army generals reduced to zero. Since 2023, at least 122 senior officers have been placed under investigation.
Tang Boqiao said the power struggle between Xi and Zhang had lasted at least three years. Zhang, he said, was one of the few generals who dared to confront Xi directly and convey internal dissatisfaction.
With Zhang gone, his former subordinates may not comply fully. Discontent within the military continues to accumulate, turning Zhongnanhai into what Tang described as a “high-pressure powder keg.”
Predictions of a ‘glacial collapse’
In his predictions, Parker said the CCP is undergoing a slow but irreversible collapse.
He claimed Xi would face a life-threatening health crisis in 2026, possibly involving organ transplantation, leading to a loss of control.
Parker also predicted that Xi suffers from a serious illness, such as prostate cancer, which may progress slowly but could result in his removal from power by the end of 2026.
He said China’s economic decline would ultimately destroy the CCP, potentially fragmenting the country into a loose federal structure resembling the European Union.
Editor’s Note:
This article is based on media reports, publicly shared online videos, commentary by overseas analysts, and unverified disclosures circulated on social media. Allegations concerning internal power struggles, assassinations, and succession arrangements within the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army cannot be independently verified and are presented as claims or assessments made by the cited sources.
