CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

Purges in the Chinese Military

The Anti-Corruption Campaign

China’s purge of Gen. Zhang Youxia, long considered a confidante of Xi Jinping and a vice-chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), and General Liu Zhenli, has set off a wide range of interpretations. Officially, Gen. Zhang, the lone CMC member with combat experience, is under investigation for “grave violations of discipline and the law,” which can mean just about anything. That has led to speculation about the real reason for his fall—for example, that he questioned Xi’s likely desire for a fourth five-year term when the next Party congress convenes in 2027; or that he and Xi were at odds over how to handle Taiwan; or that Zhang shared nuclear secrets with the US; or that Xi is simply paranoid. None of these explanations strike me as being persuasive.

The purge leaves the seven-member CMC, which is equivalent to our National Security Council, with only one other member besides Xi, leaving a critical decision making group in the Chinese leadership nearly vacant. The situation reflects Xi’s targeting of the PLA brass almost from the beginning of his rule in 2012. Altogether, over 100 People’s Liberationn Army (PLA) officers have been removed in the Xi era, most for violations of communist party discipline, i.e., corruption. Research by New York Times journalists found that of thirty-one generals and admirals in office in 2023, nine were expelled from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), thirteen “disappeared,” and two were under........

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