Against the backdrop of infighting within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the size of the military delegation attending this year’s Two Sessions has significantly shrunk. The PLA and People’s Armed Police delegation were formed on Tuesday (3rd), with Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Shengmin appointed as head of the delegation. For the first time, no deputy head was appointed, and the number of delegates decreased from the initial 281 to 243.
Traditionally, the PLA delegation is led by two vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission. The chairmen and deputy chairmen from 2023 to 2025 were Vice Chairmen Zhang Youxia and He Weidong. He Weidong fell from power last spring, followed by Zhang Youxia earlier this year. The current head of the delegation is Zhang Shengmin, who was promoted to Vice Chairman of the Military Commission in October last year.
In addition to Zhang Shengmin, all three other members of the Central Military Commission have also fallen from grace, leading to the unusual absence of deputy heads this year.
During the establishment meeting of the military and armed police delegation on March 3, 2025, there were 26 major generals attending as People’s Congress delegates, but this year, only 5 major generals are present. These 5 include Zhang Shengmin, Dong Jun, Yang Zhibin, Han Shengyan, and Fan Xiaojun. Among them, Fan Xiaojun is a retired major general, while Yang Zhibin and Han Shengyan were promoted to major general only in December last year.
Just before the Two Sessions, 9 senior military officers had their qualifications as National People’s Congress deputies revoked, including former Navy Commander Shen Jinlong, former Navy Political Commissar Qin Shengxiang, former Air Force Political Commissar Yu Zhongfu, former Army Commander Li Qiaoming, former Information Support Force Political Commissar Li Wei, 5 major generals, 1 lieutenant general, and 3 brigadier generals.
According to statistics, in the past two years, approximately 36 military People’s Congress delegates have been dismissed due to military clean-up efforts, including 16 major generals. While the initial number in the military delegation was 281, the latest update on the National People’s Congress website shows that there are currently only 243 military delegates, a decrease of 38. Zhang Youxia and Central Military Commission member Liu Zhenli’s deputy qualifications have not been revoked yet.
Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia and Commission member Liu Zhenli suddenly fell from power on January 24, leaving only Chairman Xi Jinping and Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin in the current Military Commission. On February 2, the magazine “Foreign Affairs” published an article titled “Xi the Destroyer,” describing the virtual destruction of the PLA by Xi Jinping.
Former Discipline Inspection Commission official Wang Youqun wrote an article on February 9 in the Epoch Times, suggesting that Zhang Shengmin is currently in a precarious position. He helped Xi investigate Zhang Youxia, then assisted Zhang Youxia in investigating Xi’s associates, causing Zhang Shengmin to make too many enemies. Without a powerful backing, if Xi can take down Zhang Youxia, even more so Zhang Shengmin.