On the eve of the Chinese New Year in 2026, on February 10th, Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping conducted a video call to console the military and made a rare request for all military units to “maintain designated alert status”.
Xi’s arrest of the Vice Chairman of the Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, and the member of the Military Commission, Liu Zhenli, has caused turmoil within the military, with many anomalies being continuously exposed. Public reports since mid-November 2025 have shown that Xi Jinping has not left Beijing for three consecutive months.
According to the state-owned Chinese media Xinhua News Agency, on February 10, 2026, Chinese Communist Party leader and Chairman of the Military Commission Xi Jinping inspected the readiness and task execution of the entire military via video at the Bayi Building in Beijing, consoling the military on the eve of the Chinese New Year; Vice Chairman of the Military Commission, Zhang Shengmin, also participated in the activity.
Xi Jinping demanded that “all military units strengthen their readiness, maintain designated alert status, and promptly and effectively handle various possible emergencies.”
It is noteworthy that for the first time on the eve of the Chinese New Year, Xi Jinping called for the entire military to “maintain designated alert status,” a phrase not used in previous years.
On January 24, 2025, Xi Jinping visited and consoled the Northern Theater Command headquarters located in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, with the Vice Chairman of the Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, attending the event. Xi at that time urged that “all military units strengthen their readiness and promptly and effectively handle various possible emergencies.”
On February 2, 2024, Xi Jinping visited and consoled the troops stationed in Tianjin, with Vice Chairman of the Military Commission, He Weidong, participating in the event. Xi then requested that “all military units strengthen their readiness.”
During his inspections in February 2024, Xi Jinping met with representatives of the troops stationed in Tianjin and took photos; and in January 2025, during the inspection of the Northern Theater Command headquarters, he also met with representatives of the troops and took photos.
However, on the eve of the Chinese New Year in 2026, public information shows that Xi Jinping did not visit the troops in person, but only conducted a video inspection and condolence session at the Bayi Building in Beijing.
Former CCP official Du Wen posted on X platform on February 11, 2026, stating that “due to the ongoing influence of Zhang Youxia’s faction, Xi Jinping is afraid of being assassinated or facing a coup midway and dares not go out to visit grassroots levels.”
Public reports indicate that after visiting Guangzhou on November 7 and 8, 2025, Xi Jinping has not left Beijing since November 9, 2025, to the present day (February 11, 2026), nor has he traveled abroad.
Around the New Year in 2025, Xi Jinping inspected the Information Support Force headquarters on December 4, 2024; attended the 25th anniversary celebration of Macao’s return on December 19 and 20, 2024, and visited the troops stationed in Macao; and visited Liaoning and the Northern Theater Command headquarters on January 22-24, 2025.
Around the New Year in 2024, Xi Jinping visited Shanghai and the East China Sea Fleet headquarters of the People’s Armed Police from November 28 to December 2, 2023; visited Guangxi on December 14-15, 2023; and visited Tianjin and consoled the troops stationed there on February 1-2, 2024.
Additionally, from December 12-13, 2023, Xi Jinping made a state visit to Vietnam with his wife, Peng Liyuan.
From November 13-23, 2024, Xi Jinping attended the 31st APEC Leaders’ Informal Meeting, the 19th G20 Leaders’ Summit, and conducted state visits to Peru and Brazil.
Vice Chairman of the Military Commission Zhang Youxia and member of the Military Commission Liu Zhenli were absent from the opening ceremony of the CCP provincial and ministerial-level officials’ seminar on January 20, 2026, leading to ongoing rumors of trouble and arrests. On January 24, they were officially announced to have fallen from power.
Insiders had previously revealed to Epoch Times that the handling of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli has caused significant turmoil within the military. Many senior military officers were temporarily instructed to cancel vacations, with their scheduled activities halted, and they were ordered to “stand by in place.” Simultaneously, command, propaganda, and political expression within the military have tightened, creating an overall highly tense atmosphere.
Overseas democracy activist Sheng Xue stated on January 25, 2026, on social media that her friends in China have disclosed that the Chinese military is currently highly tense. Xi is guarding against internal loss of control and mutiny because Zhang Youxia has extensive connections within the military and systemic influence. Beijing has reportedly arrested over five thousand people in response. Xi has also implemented strict controls on personnel movement and outside travel for major military regions and residential compounds.
Political scientist Liu Junning revealed on X platform on January 26, 2026, that the Central Party Committee and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection have transferred over fifty individuals to work in the Military Discipline Commission on that day. It is expected that over 2000 officers above the rank of division will face disciplinary actions like removal from office, retirement, or job transfers. The Central Military Commission announced internally: full military alert, all units must remain in place, and no movements allowed! The post also warned, “A real chaos may come at any time, and everyone must be prepared for all situations!”
Former Inner Mongolia official Du Wen cited internal sources on January 24, 2026, stating that all units of the military have been placed on level-one readiness status, with all personnel returning to their posts and external communication via mobile phones completely suspended. “Xi demands that all units remain in place without any movement. Xi Jinping is very afraid of the troops entering Beijing.” Du Wen expressed that various radical actions from Zhang Youxia’s former units could occur at any moment; and a large-scale mutiny within the Chinese military is possible at any time.
According to a disclosure by a retired officer of the 31st Group Army of the CCP, after the arrest of Zhang Youxia, Xi Jinping demanded vocal support from the commanding officers of various group armies, but most of the officers remained silent. The Chinese Communist Party’s military is in disarray, with a significant number of regiment-level and higher officers submitting resignation or job transfer reports.
Since the fall of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, there has been no official statement from the military commission departments, various theaters or branches, pledging loyalty and declaring “full support for the decisions of the Party Central Committee,” or any learning and discussion reports published by official media channels.