Chaos in China as Xi claims total control of army – top general purged | World | News
Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken full control of the country’s military after accusing his top general of “serious violations of discipline and law.” The latest victim of Xi’s brutal purge of military officials, Zhang Youixa, senior vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and the president’s longtime confidant and childhood friend, was effectively removed from his post on Saturday, signaling an increased seriousness in his mission to root out corruption within the government. “This action is unprecedented in the history of the Chinese military and represents the complete destruction of the high command,” said former CIA analyst Christopher K. Johnson. New York Times.
“The elimination of even a childhood friend in Zhang Youxia shows that Xi’s anti-corruption zeal now has no limits,” he added. Xi made rooting out allegations of corruption in the Chinese military a central mission after coming to power in 2012, and in 2023 he turned his focus to the upper echelons of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Liu Zhenli, another member of the Central Military Commission, was also under investigation, the defense ministry said, without providing further details about the alleged impropriety.
The two generals were accused of “serious abetment of political and corruption problems affecting the world.” [Communist] An editorial published in the PLA newspaper on Sunday said that the party’s absolute leadership over the military would endanger the basis of party rule.
Commentators argue that China’s crackdown on dissent in its armed forces risks undermining its ability to invade Taiwan, while others say Xi understands how important control over the military is to maintaining his authoritarian regime.
“The military is the only organization in China that has a history of challenging party leaders,” said Chinese military expert Dennis Wilder. Finance Times.
“Xi probably feared that Zhang was too powerful in the military. Assuming Xi seeks a fourth term in office, he must fear that Zhang might lead an effort within the party to oust him.”
This move reduced the commission to its smallest size in history; The president is now flanked by the military’s anti-corruption watchdog, Zhang Shengmin.
The Communist Party previously expelled its other vice president, He Weidong, last October and also dismissed two former defense ministers in 2024 over corruption charges.
