Power, paranoia and the threat to ‘Emperor’ Xi’s reign
Was the decision to fire top general Zhang sparked by speculation of a planned coup to topple his boss?
Paranoia stalks the halls of China’s Communist Party elite amid President Xi Jinping’s never-ending military purge. Over the weekend, top general Zhang Youxia and another key, commander, Liu Zhenli, were “removed,” sparking speculation of a planned coup to topple Xi.
Up to six senior officers of the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, have been kicked off the powerful Central Military Commission since 2022. The year that Commander-in-Chief Xi began an unprecedented third-term in office.
Claims of corruption are often the weapons of choice to quell unrest in the ranks. But according to the PLA Daily, the “spotlight” fell on Zhang’s “political loyalty.” A stunning statement since he was once described as a “brother” to Xi and a war hero within the Party.
“[It] seems Xi has removed all hindrances to remaining emperor, but at the expense of unity and normalcy,” Willy Lam, a senior fellow of the Jamestown Foundation, an American think tank, told the Asia Sentinel. “Most generals with experience have [now] been removed.”
Victor Shih, the director of the 21st Century China Center at the University of California, went even further in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “How do you convince Xi his childhood bestie is [a] threat to him? I just can’t believe that corruption alone did this,” he wrote.
[Why would he] betray everything that gave his life meaning.
Neil Thomas, Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis
Purge of the generals:
- Now aged 75, Zhang was at the pinnacle of the PLA pyramid as the first-ranking vice-chair of the Central Military Commission or CMC.
- The charge of corruption against him was also leveled at General Liu, the chief of staff of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department.
Delve deeper: The Wall Street Journal has reported that Zhang has been accused of leaking information on China’s nuclear program to the United States. Bribery allegations have also surfaced in the tightly-controlled state-run media.
Between the lines: Neil Thomas, of the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China, expressed skepticism about the accusations against Zhang. “[Why would he] betray everything that gave his life meaning for the last few decades [to pass on secrets],” he posted on X.
Big picture: But what it does appear to show is that power and paranoia are fueling the ambitions of an aging Xi obsessed with being overthrown by Party insiders. Behind every red door, he seems to see a political assassin lurking in the shadows.
Bottom line: “History makes clear that one-man rule breeds paranoia. Xi, by now, may well have lost the ability to tell allies from foes,” Brahma Chellaney, at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi, posted on X back in October.
China Factor comment: In short, expect the purge to continue inside the Party.