Taiwan ‘Must Stay on High Alert’ Amid Beijing’s Military Purges: Expert

Xi is preparing for a fourth term and views ‘recovering Taiwan’ as a key political goal tied to his legacy, says another analyst, but many generals oppose it.

(L-R) Vice Chairmen of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China He Weidong and Zhang Youxia, Central Committee Political Bureau member Chen Wenqing, and Tianjin Communist Party Secretary Chen Miner attend the closing session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 13, 2023. Noel Celis/Pool/AFP/via Getty Images

Experts on China’s military say Chinese leader Xi Jinping has intensified military reshuffles to guarantee his grip of China’s armed forces as he moves toward a fourth term at the CCP’s 21st National Congress, scheduled to convene in 2027.

On Jan. 24, China’s Ministry of National Defense issued a one-sentence statement announcing that Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia and CMC member Liu Zhenli were under investigation for “serious violations of disciplines and law”—the standard Chinese Communist Party (CCP) phrase used to justify political purges.