China Unleashes Unprecedented Military Purge as Xi Expands Control

China has unleashed an unprecedented purge of top military leaders as Xi accelerates consolidation.

“Le plus haut gradé militaire chinois, le général Zhang Youxia vient d’être limogé de son poste à cause d’accusation de corruption”

Armees

The Defense Ministry announced investigations into Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli; Zhang will be expelled from the Politburo.

Armees

The purge is described as the most dramatic shakeup since Deng Xiaoping began reforms in 1978.

The People’s Liberation Army’s official newspaper linked the purge to damage to Xi's accountability system.

Zhang Youxia, once considered one of Xi's most influential military allies, has become a central purge figure.

Sources emphasize the political nature of the action beyond corruption.

Epoch Times

His five-decade career and family legacy compound the magnitude of his fall.

The Times of India observed striking similarities between Xi's purge and the US military upheaval under Trump.

“The recent arrest and investigation of General Zhang Youxia, thus far the highest-ranking uniformed officer in China, has unleashed the greatest internal crisis within the Chinese high command since the Mao Zedong era”

Infobae

Both situations involve leadership reshaping key institutions amid broader strategic shifts.

China has expelled nearly 100 generals and colonels over three years.

China's military purge occurs amid spiraling hostilities in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.

Multiple power centers within the PLA now lie vacant or contested.

The Times of India

The purge injects new questions about China's military cohesion.