In recent developments, it has been reported that Commander Lin Xiangyang and Political Commissar Liu Qingsong of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese Communist Party were recently dismissed from their positions. Their substitutes, Major General Yang Zhibin and Major General Zhang Jichun, were seen in official media coverage. Analysts believe that they have been tasked with removing the influences of former Vice Chairmen of the Military Commission, He Weidong, and Miao Hua, from the Eastern Theater Command, but their own safety may also be at risk.
On the 13th, the Chinese Communist Party held a national memorial ceremony for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre in Nanjing. According to official reports, Politburo member and Minister of the Organization Department of the Central Committee, Shi Taifeng, attended and delivered a speech. Wang Xiaohong, Secretary of the Central Secretariat and State Councilor, presided over the ceremony, with attendees including Vice Chairman of the National People’s Congress Zhang Qingwei, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Su Hui, and Member of the Central Military Commission and Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Department of the Military Commission, Liu Zhenli. Officials from the Eastern Theater Command, Jiangsu Province, and Nanjing City were also present, without specific names mentioned.
Traditionally, high-ranking officials from the Eastern Theater Command would attend the annual memorial ceremony. Last year, it was Commander Lin Xiangyang and Political Commissar Liu Qingsong who were in attendance.
This year’s official media footage showed that Major General Yang Zhibin, the current Deputy Commander of the Eastern Theater Command, stood next to the Secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee, Xinchangxing. And beside the Governor of Jiangsu Province, Liu Xiaotao, stood Major General Zhang Jichun, the Deputy Political Commissar and Director of the Political Work Department of the Eastern Theater Command. These two officers, standing in the front row alongside leaders from Jiangsu Province, indicate that they are now responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the Eastern Theater Command.
According to the self-media figure “Zhonggui Zhongju,” Yang Zhibin and Zhang Jichun were transferred to the Eastern Theater Command in September this year, serving as the acting Commander and Political Commissar.
Public information reveals that Yang Zhibin, born in April 1963 in Anyang, Henan Province, is an Air Force Major General. He has held various positions in the Air Force, including Commander of the 26th Aviation Brigade of the Nanjing Military Region, and Commander of the Air Force Shanghai Command Post. Zhang Jichun, a Rocket Force Major General from Hanshan, Anhui, born in May 1968, had served in several political positions within the Rocket Force.
“Zhonggui Zhongju” analysis points out that Yang Zhibin, coming from the 26th Air Force stationed in Fujian, had a senior leader who passed away suddenly in June, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Xu Qiliang. Former Air Force Commander Ding Laihang, who was dismissed in 2023, also hailed from the 26th Air Force. Zhang Jichun has connections with the current Vice Chairman of the Military Commission, Zhang Shengmin, who previously oversaw political work in the Second Artillery Corps.
Among the five major military regions of the CCP, the Eastern Theater Command’s main strategic task is to handle the situations in the Taiwan Strait and the East China Sea. Since the military reform in 2016, the Eastern Theater Command has inherited the territory of the former Nanjing Military Region. Over the past decade, from 2016 to 2025, the Eastern Theater Command has seen three Commanders in succession: Liu Yuejun, He Weidong, and Lin Xiangyang. He Weidong, who once served as the Commander of the Eastern Theater Command before transitioning to the Central Military Commission and later becoming a Political Bureau member and Vice Chairman of the Military Commission, and former Military Commission member Miao Hua both originated from the Nanjing Military Region.
However, in the recent turmoil within the military, the Eastern Theater Command has become a key target for purge. Among the 9 top generals who were collectively expelled from the party and military just before the Fourth Plenum in October this year, a significant portion belonged to the Eastern Theater Command, including Miao Hua, He Weidong, Lin Xiangyang, as well as Wang Chunning, Commander of the Armed Police Force, and Wang Xiubin, Executive Deputy Director of the Joint Operations Command Center of the Central Military Commission. During the Fourth Plenum, in addition to the announced dismissal of He Weidong and others, 14 generals who were members of the Central Committee have also “disappeared,” including Political Commissar Liu Qingsong of the Eastern Theater Command.
“Zhonggui Zhongju” suggests that the Eastern Theater Command has been a stronghold of both Miao Hua and He Weidong, as well as a power base for Xi Jinping’s confidants. It has long been under the control of Miao Hua’s close associates and is one of the hardest-hit areas in the ongoing military cleanse. Zhang Jichun and Yang Zhibin’s primary task now is to jointly reorganize the Eastern Theater Command, not only to eliminate remnants of Miao Hua and He Weidong’s influence but also to stabilize military morale and prepare for contingencies.
However, “Zhonggui Zhongju” believes that many high-ranking officials from various branches and departments of the military who are being purged are being replaced by acting Major Generals with complicated backgrounds. Whether they can safely navigate through these turbulent times, whether they will be officially confirmed in their positions, remains uncertain.
In November, the aircraft carrier Fujian entered service. At the commissioning ceremony, attended by the Navy’s acting Commander, Major General Cui Yuzhong, and acting Political Commissar, Major General Leng Shaojie, both Navy Commander Hu Zhongming and Navy Political Commissar Yuan Huazhi have also faced consequences.
Reports have indicated that after the dismissal of Army Commander Li Qiaoming, Lieutenant General Li Zhonglin temporarily assumed the position of Acting Commander of the Army, but he was also removed shortly after. Following the downfall of the People’s Armed Police Commander Wang Chunning, Deputy Commander of the Armed Police Force, Major General Cao Junzhang, acted as the acting Commander briefly before also being ousted.
In July 2025, Cao Junzhang was reportedly appointed as the Acting Commander of the People’s Armed Police Force. However, there has been no official confirmation on Lieutenant General Li Zhonglin’s appointment as the Acting Army Commander reported in mainland media.
The news about Cao Junzhang and Li Zhonglin acting as senior officers before being removed from their positions has yet to be officially confirmed.