In a shocking turn of events, Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia and Joint Staff Department Chief Liu Zhenli, whose positions in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) military are second only to Xi Jinping, have been officially placed under investigation, creating ripples around the world. This move has led to nearly all members of the 20th Central Military Commission being effectively sidelined, leaving only Xi to control the military, resulting in what some have described as the first “commander-in-chief with an empty rifle” scenario since the Mao Zedong era. The sweeping changes have prompted widespread questioning about what actions Zhang Youxia might have taken.
On January 24th, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense announced that Zhang Youxia, a member of the CCP’s Central Political Bureau and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, along with Liu Zhenli, a member of the Central Military Commission and Chief of the Joint Staff Department, were being investigated for “serious disciplinary and legal violations.” The sudden announcement left many observers in shock.
Previously, rumors overseas had been circulating about Zhang Youxia’s alleged involvement in an “attempted coup.” Following their downfall, the CCP military newspaper issued an extremely harsh editorial, making highly politicized judgments about Zhang and Liu.
The military newspaper editorial accused the two men of “seriously betraying the trust and responsibility of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission,” “seriously violating and undermining the system of the Chairman’s responsibility system of the Military Commission,” “seriously affecting the image and prestige of the Military Commission,” and stated that their actions “caused great harm to the political ecology and combat readiness of the army,” as well as “having an extremely negative impact on the Party, the country, and the military.”
Commentator Li Lin believes that the severity of the military newspaper’s language goes beyond the normal political context of corruption cases, seemingly corroborating the claims of an attempted coup by Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli.
An article by Radio France Internationale pointed out that the affirmation itself by Xi Jinping may not necessarily reflect specific actions, but rather his extreme fear of losing control of military power; under a highly centralized system, political suspicions alone are enough to constitute a fatal charge.
Following the announcement of the investigation into Zhang and Liu, various sources pointed to their arrest due to a failed “coup.”
Political blogger “Eight Bright Eyes,” with 1.29 million followers, stated that Zhang Youxia and others planned a coup, which was betrayed by their associates, leading to the failure of their coup plot. He further revealed that in late December last year, when Xi Jinping was promoted to the rank of General, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were preparing to take action.
The rapid official notification of the investigation into Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, on suspicion of serious violations, was interpreted by “Eight Bright Eyes” as a strong deterrent by the Xi regime against potential internal changes within the military.
Overseas democracy activist Sheng Xue revealed on social media that her mainland Chinese friend (pseudonym Mr. X) had informed her on January 19th that Zhang Youxia had been arrested, indicating a possible significant upheaval within the CCP.
After the news of the investigation into Zhang and Liu was made public, Mr. X informed Sheng Xue again, disclosing that on the evening of January 18th, Xi Jinping was preparing to stay at the Beijing Jingxi Guesthouse. That same evening, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli had planned to take action against Xi, but the plan was leaked approximately two hours before the operation, prompting Xi to evacuate the Jingxi Guesthouse and deploy countermeasures.
Unaware that their plan had been exposed, Zhang and Liu still sent people to the Jingxi Guesthouse, leading to a gunfight between both sides resulting in casualties. Subsequently, Xi Jinping quickly took control of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, and immediately detained their family members.
Former CCP Inner Mongolia official Du Wen, citing internal sources, reported that there was widespread speculation within China of an “coup.” Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli attempted a coup against Xi but were betrayed. In a critical moment, Xi Jinping had Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli arrested.
On an overseas platform, blogger Li Chengpeng with over 470,000 followers shared a photo claiming, “This is the night before Zhang Youxia’s arrest, plainclothes officers were keeping watch at his residence.”
The details of the related revelations cannot be independently verified at this time.
The simultaneous downfall of these two key figures in the military has been likened by many commentators to the “Lin Biao incident.” The military is considered the lifeline of the CCP regime, and this high-level purge is believed to have a profound impact on the system.
Chinese-American political commentator and writer Cao Changqing stated on the platform that the Lin Biao incident left Mao Zedong shaken until his death. It is imaginable that his most trusted deputy commander also departed from his side, leaving him lonely and eventually consumed by his anger. Now, the CCP ** has officially announced the investigation of Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia and Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli, resulting in only Xi Jinping and one other member, besides urgent appointments like Zhang Shengmin last year. Even before the U.S. acts, Xi himself has cleaned up the top brass of the military. Whom can he trust now? Or rather, who can trust Xi Jinping?
He believes that this event may have a significant impact on Chinese politics and the CCP military, similar to the “Lin Biao incident” of the past.
Independent current affairs commentator Cai Shenkun also compared Zhang Youxia’s downfall to Xi Jinping’s “Lin Biao moment,” predicting that further purges will continue, with leaders like Zhang Shengmin possibly entering an imminent downfall.
Currently, the Central Military Commission’s leadership team consists of only seven people, leaving Xi Jinping and Zhang Shengmin, who was urgently appointed as Vice Chairman of the Military Commission in October last year. There are only four active generals remaining, besides Zhang Shengmin and Defense Minister Dong Jun, with General Yang Zhibin, promoted to general in December last year, the commander of the Eastern Theater Command, and General Han Shengyan, the commander of the Central Theater Command.
Additionally, there have been numerous senior generals and lieutenant generals within the CCP military who have fallen from grace. During the 20th Central Committee Plenary Session, 27 out of 42 Central Committee members from the military were absent, with a non-attendance rate of 63%, including 22 generals.
Some overseas individuals have commented on this issue with sarcasm. Canadian pastor Ren Bumai said, “Congratulations to Xi Jinping for wiping out the entire army. This is a miracle of the extinction of communism in January 2026.”
“Cang Hai Ming Zhu”: Xi Jinping is really powerful in (regressing). He was able to eliminate the entire Central Military Commission in one fell swoop…
“nam na”: I never expected that as someone familiar with history, I would witness the real history. If Zhang Youxia truly had control of military power last year, and the only general in the military who had been in battle was so hesitant, then we understand that the CCP’s army has no combat effectiveness.
“Nobody”: Truly embodying Xi’s saying, “There is not a single man among the soldiers.”
“John Sam”: A group of useless people, with so many years of military career, and not even one trusted comrade? It goes to show that everyone is useless.
“Lifen” ironically remarked: Xi is the true anti-communist, taking out all the gang leaders from the communist army.