The National People’s Congress Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) closed its meeting yesterday, August 28th. During the meeting, it was announced that Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the CCP Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli, member of the CCP Central Military Commission, have been relieved of their positions. Additionally, Zhang Youxia, Liu Zhenli, former Political Commissar of the National Defense University Zhong Shaojun, and former Commander of the Strategic Support Force Ju Qiansheng, have all been removed from their positions as delegates to the National People’s Congress. Experts believe that the extensive purge indicates Xi Jinping’s ineffective military governance, as continuous purges have caused unrest within the military ranks, potentially sparking resistance.
On August 28, the CCP National People’s Congress Standing Committee announced the dismissal of Zhang Youxia from his position as Vice Chairman of the CCP Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli from his role as a member of the CCP Central Military Commission.
The CCP National Central Military Commission and the CCP Central Military Commission are two different entities. The former’s leadership is appointed and dismissed by the National People’s Congress (or its Standing Committee during recess), while the latter is appointed by the Central Committee.
On January 24, the CCP Ministry of National Defense announced that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were under investigation. Subsequently, the CCP military’s official newspaper criticized the two for “seriously violating and undermining the system where the Chairman of the Military Commission holds ultimate responsibility,” which “affects the party’s absolute leadership over the military and harms the party’s governance foundation.”
Renowned political commentator based in the U.S., Chen Pokong, told the Epoch Times that Xi Jinping’s moves against Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli earlier this year have raised discontent within the party. After publishing a few critical articles, Xi remained silent, possibly due to silent resistance brewing within the military.
He believes that the announcement of dealing with Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli unquestionably impacts the military, given their combat experience. In recent years, there has been a continuous purge within the military, with many of Xi Jinping’s promoted generals being removed by his hand.
“The extensive purge proves Xi Jinping’s ineptitude in leading and governing the military. Because most of the senior generals were appointed by him, and then he believed that most of them had issues, it shows his incompetence,” he said.
On March 7, while attending the National People’s Congress delegation meeting, Xi Jinping emphasized that the military “must not have individuals with dual loyalty to the party.”
Chen Pokong stated that these ousted generals might not only be corrupt but may also have shown disloyalty towards the party. According to Xi Jinping, they may have had dual loyalty. Within the party, whether obvious or not, there has already formed a widespread anti-Xi faction.
The CCP has yet to publicly announce the party and military disciplinary actions against Zhang and Liu, nor have they declared the dismissal of Zhang Youxia from his positions as a member of the Central Political Bureau, Vice Chairman of the CCP Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli as a member of the 20th Central Committee, and a member of the CCP Central Military Commission. It is widely believed that the upcoming 20th Fifth Plenum in October will be a time for the concentrated handling of the fallen Central Committee members.
Following the downfall of rocket force commanders such as Li Yuchao, Zhou Yaning, Wang Houbin, the CCP recently expanded its purge within the military. On August 24, the military openly called for the reporting of irregularities in rocket force procurement, with investigations now extending to grassroots logistics procurements like non-staple food and medical supplies.
Researcher at the Taiwan Institute of National Defense Security, Shen Mingshi, in an interview with the Epoch Times, pointed out that the public handling by the National People’s Congress this time is an official confirmation of the pending cases of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli. Those previously promoted by Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli could potentially become the next targets in the upcoming wave of purges.
Shen Mingshi believes that there are still many within the military who support Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli. These individuals are now feeling threatened. The intensified pressure for purges from authorities could also incite resistance, with some risking everything, initiating intense military actions.
Moreover, he stated that Xi Jinping’s move against the second-generation red leader Zhang Youxia has disrupted the political understanding formerly established with the red second generation. By aggressively purging the protégés of the elders, Xi has increased internal political turbulence, creating considerable uncertainty for the Fifth Plenum and the 21st National Congress next year.
The announcement of the delegates’ qualifications by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress revealed that twelve National People’s Congress delegates were removed this time. Apart from Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, others include former Political Commissar of the National Defense University Zhong Shaojun and former Commander of the Strategic Support Force Ju Qiansheng.
Zhong Shaojun, who was also relieved of his delegate position, had served as a significant figure in Xi Jinping’s military circle for many years, as well as the Director of the CCP Central Military Commission Office. Reports in April 2024 indicated his transfer from the Military Commission Office Director to the Political Commissar of the National Defense University, confirmed by Singapore’s Ministry of Defense report in August 2025. However, official records on October 25, 2025, showed that Xia Zhihe replaced him as the Political Commissar of the National Defense University.
Shen Mingshi suggested that the dismissal of Xi Jinping’s confidant Zhong Shaojun could have been instigated by Zhang Youxia. Simultaneously removing both Zhong Shaojun and Zhang Youxia from their delegate roles indicates a move for balance by the authorities, signaling, “This is not factional struggle. Not only am I targeting the faction of Zhang Youxia, but also the one I promoted, Zhong Shaojun, has been officially removed as a delegate.”
Shen Mingshi added that the purge of Zhong Shaojun would have a ripple effect, causing anxiety among those close to Xi Jinping, wondering if they could be the next target. As the saying goes, keeping close to the emperor is like keeping close to a tiger, and many are awaiting Xi Jinping’s downfall, or hoping for new leadership changes. The military’s morale disturbance may affect its combat capabilities.
Ju Qiansheng, the other ousted delegate, was promoted to Commander of the Network System Department of the Strategic Support Force in 2018. In July 2019, he was promoted to Major General. In July 2021, he became the third Commander of the Strategic Support Force and was concurrently awarded the rank of Senior General. He is a member of the 20th Central Committee.
Around July 2023, reports began circulating that Ju Qiansheng was under investigation. He subsequently missed several important events but reappeared on January 29, 2024. During the 2026 NPC session, he was “missing.”
On April 19, 2024, the Strategic Support Force was disbanded and reorganized into the Information Support Force, the Military Space Force, and the Network Space Force. Li Wei, former Political Commissar of the Strategic Support Force, was appointed as the first Political Commissar of the Information Support Force in April 2024. However, on February 26, 2026, Li Wei was relieved of his duties as a National People’s Congress delegate.
Shen Mingshi stated that the downfall of both the Commander and Political Commissar of the former Strategic Support Force indicates grave corruption issues within the force, likely related to space projects. Recent launch failures in China’s Long March series of rockets may be connected to corruption within the space force. The splitting of the Strategic Support Force into three branches might be due to corruption issues hindering joint operational effectiveness, leading to the decision to divide it.