On April 8, 2026, Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of a senior military officer training class with only three generals accompanying him. General Yang Zhibin, the commander of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese Communist Party, was notably absent from the event.
According to reports from Xinhua News Agency, the senior military officer training class officially commenced at the National Defense University on the morning of April 8, 2026. Xi Jinping, the leader of the CCP and Chairman of the Military Commission, delivered a speech emphasizing the need for ideological reform and deepening political training.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Vice Chairman of the Military Commission, Zhang Shengmin. The first batch of senior military officer training class included senior officials from various departments of the Military Commission and relevant units stationed in Beijing. The ceremony was conducted in the form of a television conference with sub-venues set up in various military units nationwide.
CCTV’s “Xinwen Lianbo” broadcast footage from the opening ceremony showing only Xi Jinping and Zhang Shengmin seated at the main podium. Apart from General Zhang Shengmin, Defense Minister Dong Jun and Central Theater Command Commander Han Shengyan, both generals, were seated in the front row.
General Yang Zhibin, who was promoted to the rank of general along with Han Shengyan on December 22, 2025, was conspicuously absent from the opening ceremony.
On the same day, the Central Party School’s internal publication “Xuexi Shibao” published an article written by General Yang Zhibin. In the article, Yang pledged loyalty to Xi Jinping and emphasized the need to enhance combat readiness and fight against corruption. He mentioned drawing lessons from the severe disciplinary and legal violations of senior military officials but did not name any specific individuals.
The reason for General Yang Zhibin’s absence from the opening ceremony of the senior military officer training class remains unknown.
Public records show that Yang Zhibin was born in April 1963 in Anyang, Henan Province. He previously served as the Commander of the 26th Air Force Division in Nanjing Military Region and the Commander of the Air Force Shanghai Command Post. In 2010, he became the Commander of the Air Force Wuhan Command Post and in 2011, he was appointed as the Commander of the Air Force Fuzhou Command Post. In December 2014, he was promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff and Air Force Staff Officer of the Lanzhou Military Region. In January 2016, he served as the head of the Air Force Post-Disaster Relief Office of the Lanzhou Military Region. In April 2017, he became the Commander of the Shaanxi Provincial Military Region. In December 2018, he was appointed as a member of the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the CCP. In March 2021, he was promoted to Deputy Commander of the Southern Theater Command. In 2023, he was transferred to the position of Deputy Commander of the Western Theater Command. In September 2025, he was appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Eastern Theater Command.
Yang Zhibin emerged from the 26th Air Force Division stationed in Fujian, where his former superiors included the late Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xu Qiliang, who passed away due to a sudden illness in June 2025. Ding Laihang, the former Commander of the Air Force who was disgraced in 2023, also came from the same Air Force Division in Fujian. Both Ding Laihang and Yang Zhibin had previously served as Commanders of the Air Force Fuzhou Command Post.
In recent years, there has been a continuous purge within the ranks of the Chinese Communist Party’s military, with the Central Military Commission’s leadership reduced from seven members after the 2022 reshuffle to just two individuals currently (Xi Jinping and Zhang Shengmin). Among the active generals, there are only a few individuals remaining, including Vice Chairman of the Military Commission Zhang Shengmin, Defense Minister Dong Jun, Eastern Theater Command Commander Yang Zhibin, and Central Theater Command Commander Han Shengyan.
During the Chinese Communist Party’s two sessions on March 7, 2026, Xi Jinping attended a meeting with military representatives, where only four active generals, including the aforementioned individuals, and two retired generals were present. Surprisingly, 13 generals who were National People’s Congress deputies and five generals who were members of the CPPCC National Committee were absent from the meeting.
In the past three years, 36 senior CCP military leaders, including 16 generals, have been publicly removed from the position of National People’s Congress deputy. Most of the dismissed generals were personally promoted and appointed by Xi Jinping.