Xi’s Removal of Top Generals Rooted in Disagreements Over China’s Future, Analyst Says

‘Zhang Youxia actually held military power. He’s the only one in China with the capacity to challenge Xi Jinping,’ Tang Boqiao told The Epoch Times.

China's vice chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia (C), arrives for a group photo in Qingdao, China, on April 22, 2024. Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images

The sudden removal of two of China’s most senior military officials has raised questions about Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s control over the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and exposed what some insiders describe as a long-term power struggle at the top of the military command.

On Jan. 24, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced the removal of Zhang Youxia, the first-ranked vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), along with CMC member Liu Zhenli, who heads the Joint Staff Department. While the CCP has offered no detailed public explanation, China observers and analysts say the move reflects more than a routine anti-corruption purge.