After the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, there has been a significant personnel shake-up among the military leadership, attracting widespread attention. At a recent briefing by the Central Military Commission, 9 major generals appeared, shedding light on changes within the central military commission’s departments. The factional affiliations of these generals Zhang Youxia and Zhang Shengmin, as well as Zhang Youxia’s dominance within the military, have sparked interest.
According to the official Xinhua News Agency, the CCP’s entire military held its first briefing on the Fourth Plenum in Beijing on the 3rd. Zhang Youxia, a member of the Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, along with Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin and Commission member Liu Zhenli, were in attendance.
In official video footage, besides Zhang Youxia, Zhang Shengmin, Liu Zhenli, and Dong Jun, four senior generals, when Zhang Youxia spoke, Zhang Shengmin and Liu Zhenli were seated in the front row, while Dong Jun and other major generals sat in the second row.
In the second row were 9 generals from the central military commission’s departments, including Chen Chi from the logistics department, Liu Di from the training management department, Zhang Like from the mobilization department, Zhu Chuansheng from the joint staff, Wang Chengnan, Zhang Yutang, Xiong Zhaoyuan from the political work department, and Dong Li and Zheng Shoudong from the joint operational command center, all holding the rank of major general.
Public records show that Chen Chi previously served as the principal of the Air Force Shijiazhuang Flight Academy. Promoted from the rank of Air Force Colonel to Brigadier General on June 28, 2019, he was appointed Deputy Minister of the Central Military Commission’s Logistics Support Department in 2022, and promoted to Major General in September of this year.
Liu Di previously served as the Deputy Minister of the Central Military Commission’s Training Management Department, was promoted to Brigadier General in July 2023, and then to Major General in September of the same year. In May of this year, during an observatory event at the PLA training grounds, Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia attended, accompanied by Liu Di. At that time, Minister of Training Management Wang Chun, a major general, was absent.
Zhang Like previously served as the Deputy Party Secretary of the Shandong Military Region and Commander of the Shandong Military Region. Zhang was promoted to Brigadier General in December 2019 and was reassigned to the Central Military Commission’s Mobilization Department in late 2024 as the Deputy Minister.
Zhu Chuansheng, a former Navy Rear Admiral, had served as the Commander of the Navy Marines in 2022. Zhu, originally from the Army, had previously served as Deputy Corps Commander of the 41st Group Army, promoted to Brigadier General in December 2017. He recently returned to the Army from the Navy and was transferred to the Central Military Commission’s joint staff department as the Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of Operations.
“Zhongguo Zhongju,” a YouTube channel focusing on Chinese current affairs, analyzed that with a large number of senior and major generals exiting, a new group of rising stars have taken over, heading various departments under the Central Military Commission.
Analysis indicates that the former head of the Logistics Support Department, Major General Zhang, had been removed from his position as a National People’s Congress delegate. It is believed that Chen Chi has taken over the department. Similarly, former Mobilization Department Minister Liu Faqing, a member of the 20th Central Committee, was absent from the Fourth Plenum. Zhang Like’s promotion to Major General implies that he may have assumed the role of Mobilization Department Minister. Liu Di’s advancement to Major General strongly suggests that he has taken over from Wang Chun as the head of the Central Military Commission’s Training Management Department.
At the meeting, there were three Deputy Directors of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission: Wang Chengnan, Zhang Yutang, and Xiong Zhaoyuan.
Wang Chengnan served as the Secretary of the Air Force Discipline Inspection Committee in December 2019, promoted to Major General. In April 2020, he was appointed Political Commissar of the Air Force in the Central Theater Command. In December 2021, he was reassigned to the Deputy Director of the Central Military Commission’s Political Work Department.
Zhang Yutang had previously served as the Director of the Network Public Opinion Bureau of the Central Military Commission’s Political Work Department, Vice Chairman of the All-China Journalists Association, Director of the Propaganda Bureau of the Central Military Commission’s Political Work Department, and Director and Editor-in-Chief of the Military News Communication Center. He was promoted to Major General in September of this year and appointed as the Deputy Director of the Central Military Commission’s Political Work Department.
Rear Admiral Xiong Zhaoyuan of the Navy previously held positions such as Secretary-General of the Second Artillery Political Department, Deputy Political Commissar of the Rocket Force Command College, Political Commissar of the Navy Command College, and Deputy Director of the Navy Political Work Department. In November of this year, he was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Central Military Commission’s Political Work Department.
Dong Li, from the Central Military Commission’s Joint Operational Command Center, previously served as Commander of an Air Force Testing and Training Base. In 2017, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Air Force in the Eastern Theater Command, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force in 2018, Deputy Commander of the Air Force in 2022, and joined the Joint Operational Command Center in February 2023. He was promoted to Major General in March 2021.
Zheng Shoudong had previously served in various positions such as Director of the Training Department of the Shenyang Military Region, Deputy Corps Commander of the 40th Group Army, Deputy Chief of Staff of the 80th Group Army, Commander of the 72nd Group Army, and Commander of the 80th Group Army. In 2025, he joined the Central Military Commission’s Joint Operational Command Center.
Among the 9 major generals, there are 4 from the Air Force – Chen Chi, Liu Di, Wang Chengnan, and Dong Li; 2 from the Navy – Zhang Like and Xiong Zhaoyuan; 2 from the Army – Zhu Chuansheng and Zheng Shoudong; and 1 from the Rocket Force – Zhang Yutang. The proportion of Army generals has significantly decreased.
Furthermore, many of these promoted generals are relatively older in age, with Zheng Shoudong born in April 1961, Dong Li born in 1964, and Wang Chengnan born in October 1964.
The analysis by “Zhongguo Zhongju” suggests that Zhang Youxia is the highest-ranking and most powerful military leader within the CCP, possibly the most influential military leader in this century. With the dismissal of other influential figures like Guo Boxiong, Xu Caihou, Fan Changlong, and Xu Qiliang, Zhang Youxia now leads the way as a member of the Political Bureau.
The analysis indicates that Minister of National Defense Dong Jun is in a somewhat delicate position as the only one wearing the uniform of a general while sitting in the back row. While it is a positive sign that he remains on stage while other top generals are sidelined, his failure to be promoted to a member of the Central Military Commission, given his position, makes his status somewhat precarious within the leadership.
Liberal scholar Yuan Hongbing, residing in Australia, stated to Dajiyuan that Dong Jun has built private relationships with Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe. However, by betraying them, he has earned merit. Therefore, Dong Jun has been kept in his position as Minister of National Defense but has not been elevated to the Central Military Commission member, indicating that he has yet to gain Xi Jinping’s complete trust.
Shen Mingshi, a researcher at the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security Studies, told Dajiyuan that Dong Jun’s situation is very complex. It is believed that he was promoted by Miao Hua. The fact that he did not receive a seat on the Central Military Commission at the Fourth Plenum suggests that it is highly unlikely he will become a member in the future.
Yuan Hongbing further explained that the Miao Hua and He Weidong case has implicated more than 3,000 senior colonels and above within the Chinese military. According to insiders, this case has dealt a severe blow to Xi Jinping, possibly heavier than the so-called treason case involving Lin Biao had on Mao Zedong back in the day. This situation signifies that most of the generals handpicked by Xi Jinping are now under scrutiny for possible double-dealing.
The newly appointed Deputy Director of the Military Commission’s Political Work Department, Xiong Zhaoyuan, came from the Rocket Force, while Zhang Shengmin, the former Political Director of the Rocket Force, worked with Xiong Zhaoyuan when he was the Secretary-General of the Rocket Force Political Department.
Among the two Deputy Directors of the Joint Operational Command Center, Dong Li and Zheng Shoudong, the latter comes from the Shenyang Military Region. When Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia served as the Commander of the Shenyang Military Region, Zheng Shoudong was the Chief of Staff of the Operations Department at the Shenyang Military Region Headquarters.
“Zhongguo Zhongju” analysis notes that the newly promoted major generals all have their own factions and backers. Following the military shake-up, a new leadership team at the top of the military has begun to take shape at a faster pace than anticipated. However, the ongoing high turnover rate and uncertainty signal more changes in the future.
Yuan Hongbing believes that after the Miao Hua and He Weidong case, Xi Jinping heavily relies on Zhang Youxia and Zhang Shengmin, as he struggles to find people he can trust. Thus, the new leaders tasked with overseeing the Political Work Department and the highest command system of the Military Commission are essentially proteges of Zhang Youxia and Zhang Shengmin. This abnormal reliance on two factions to control such a vast military force poses a significant instability within the structure.
Yuan Hongbing pointed out that these major generals did not compete for their positions through normal channels. Most of them were hastily promoted in the aftermath of the Miao Hua and He Weidong case, which led to a major upheaval within the military. Their political inclinations and loyalty to Xi Jinping remain questionable.
The Central Military Commission consists of 15 departments, with positions such as the Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Department, Director of the Political Work Department, and Secretary of the Commission for Discipline Inspection being reserved for senior generals. However, senior generals such as He Hongjun, who have fallen from grace, were previously high-ranking generals. Other positions like the heads of the logistics support department, equipment development department, training management department, mobilization department, as well as the Chief of Staff of the Military Commission’s General Office, Secretary of the Political and Legal Commission, and Director of the Technology Commission, typically hold the rank of major general. However, those absent from the Fourth Plenum, such as Xu Qiang, head of the Equipment Development Department, and Wang Renhua, Secretary of the Political and Legal Commission of the Military Commission, are ranked as senior generals.
The Joint Operational Command Center originally had a Deputy Director in charge of daily operations, a position reserved for senior generals. However, since 2022, three consecutive Deputy Directors, He Weidong, Wu Yanan, and Wang Xiubin, have all been removed from their positions.
Currently, both representatives from the Military Commission’s Joint Operational Command Center and Political Work Department are only Deputy Directors, leaving the two major systems without a top leader.
Shen Mingshi remarked to Dajiyuan that Zhang Youxia needs to find someone to oversee the overall situation, thus sourcing the most senior deputy from the original department to act as the department head. Whether this position will be promoted to major general in the future depends on the direction of the military reform. Historically, the promotion system within the CCP military has been chaotic, with many senior generals obtaining their positions through bribery.
He believes that Zhang Youxia’s most urgent task is to appoint a new Director of the Political Work Department. Although there are several Deputy Directors available, not all may be trusted, and some may potentially be reassigned to serve as political commissars in the war zones.
Yuan Hongbing stated that the two most crucial departments within the CCP military, the Political Work Department and the Joint Operational Command Center of the Central Military Commission, have not been staffed with regular officers as of yet. This indicates that the aftershocks of the Miao Hua and He Weidong case are still reverberating.
Yuan Hongbing added that after the massive purge of officers, the remaining emptiness has yet to be filled. Currently, the entire leadership organization of the CCP military is incomplete, posing a significant crisis for Xi Jinping’s personal dictatorship.