By Katherine Hu, FinalWar
To watch the full episode, please click on the FinalWar’s official YouTube channel here.
As Beijing grapples with internal turmoil within its military leadership, this latest episode of FinalWar explores whether General Liu Yuan has stepped forward as an acting commander following the sudden disappearance of Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia on Jan. 24.
“Is General Zhang Youxia still alive — or already gone?” asks host Katherine Hu as she describes what she calls “nearly a full week of paralysis inside China’s military — a dangerous vacuum at the very top,” arguing that an acting commander has now emerged.
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Claims surrounding Zhang’s fate
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“After nearly a full week of paralysis inside China’s military — a dangerous vacuum at the very top — an acting commander has finally emerged: General Liu Yuan,” Hu says, adding, “This is not just another political episode,” she adds. “This is one of the most dramatic and consequential moments China has faced in centuries.”
Hu reiterates her earlier assertion that Zhang Youxia may have been eliminated, citing insider sources. “Multiple independent information channels have since reported the same core claim — that Zhang Youxia is no longer alive,” she says, while acknowledging that accounts differ on the location of the alleged killing. The claims have not been confirmed or verified.
She also argues that regardless of the truth, Beijing’s response follows a familiar pattern of secrecy. “In the short term, it is almost certain that no official confirmation will be forthcoming from the Chinese authorities,” says Hu.
Conflicting narratives
Hu claims the Xi Jinping faction has sought to shape public perception through shifting explanations. On Jan. 20, she says, what appeared online was “not clarity, but chaos: bizarre rumors, sensational claims, and Hollywood-style narratives flooding overseas social media platforms.”
She argues the objective was to portray Zhang as the initiator of a coup. She points to a “Wall Street Journal” report alleging Zhang leaked nuclear secrets, an accusation later denied by China’s Defense Ministry. “The answer is clear. It was designed to provide a politically respectable justification for an otherwise illegal and brutal power struggle,” Hu says.
When that narrative faltered, Hu claims a new version was circulated suggesting Zhang was detained at a sealed Central Guard Bureau facility in Hebei. “They are deeply afraid of one thing above all else: That the outside world will learn the truth — that Zhang Youxia had already been privately eliminated.”
Liu takes the helm
Hu’s asserts that Liu Yuan has now been elevated by Party elders to assume military command. “The CCP elders and the military have achieved a decisive breakthrough: General Liu Yuan has been formally appointed by Hu Jintao to serve as Acting Chairman of the Central Military Commission,” she says.
Hu also claims “the overwhelming majority of CCP elders have expressed internal support” for Liu, and that the PLA’s five theater commands have conveyed allegiance through internal communications. She describes Liu Yuan as a top-tier princeling, the son of former state chairman Liu Shaoqi, and portrays him as Xi’s most formidable rival.
“This makes one thing clear: Liu Yuan is not only Zhang Youxia’s closest ally — he is now Xi Jinping’s most formidable opponent,” Hu says, adding that, “China is standing on the eve of a historic transformation.”
A dangerous stalemate
Despite what she frames as a breakthrough, Hu warns that China’s leadership is now locked in a tense impasse. “What has emerged is a phase of silent internal combat — an undeclared struggle in which the balance of power continues to sway,” she says.
Hu argues Party elders remain hesitant because “They place preserving the Party above everything else,” allowing Xi time to regain leverage. She points to a series of PLA Daily commentaries attacking Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, followed by an announcement that the NPC Standing Committee would meet on Feb. 4.
In Hu’s assessment, the meeting’s purpose is procedural: “to formally remove Zhang Youxia from his post… and revoke both men’s National People’s Congress deputy status.” She adds, “If Xi succeeds… the legal foundation of soft resistance will collapse,” she warns, arguing that hesitation from Party elders may ultimately strengthen Xi’s position.
Hu closes the episode by citing Hamilton-Parker’s warning that Xi may attempt to rebuild the Central Military Commission and potentially turn toward Taiwan as a last escape from internal crisis. Parker described the CCP as entering a “glacial breakdown,” Hu notes, adding, “The fractures are already visible. The pressure is already building. And the moment of reckoning is no longer distant.”
To watch the full episode, please click on the FinalWar’s official YouTube channel here.
