Under the backdrop of escalating purges in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Rear Admiral Hu Zhongming, the Commander of the PLA Navy, has been absent from high-level events for nearly half a year. The latest news reveals that Hu Zhongming has been detained and his house has been raided. Hu Zhongming is a close ally of the fallen PLA Military Commission member Miao Hua.
Renowned commentator Jiang Wangzheng, who has been consistently disclosing the movements of high-ranking Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials, broke the news on March 13, 2026, that Rear Admiral Hu Zhongming has been apprehended and had his residence searched for an entire afternoon. Additionally, a significant number of retired senior officers, including Vice Admirals Liu Sheng and Wang Li, Vice Admirals Liu Yi and Yuan Qiang, former Deputy Minister of the PLA Equipment Development Department, have also been detained.
Hu Zhongming was promoted to Rear Admiral on December 25, 2023, and assumed the role of Navy Commander. On December 4, 2024, the PLA Navy held the second Gulf of Guinea Security Seminar in Shanghai, where Hu Zhongming attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech. However, there have been no reports of Hu Zhongming’s public appearances since 2025.
On July 31, 2025, the Ministry of National Defense of the CCP hosted a reception for the “August 1st” anniversary. According to reports from Hong Kong media, seven active-duty Rear Admirals were absent, including Navy Commander Hu Zhongming. Besides them, Lieutenant General Wang Chunning, the Commander of the People’s Armed Police Force, and Navy Political Commissar Yuan Huazhi, were officially announced to have fallen from grace in October 2025; and Lieutenant General Zhang Hongbing, the Political Commissar of the People’s Armed Police Force, was stripped of his status as a National People’s Congress delegate by the end of 2025.
During the Fourth Plenum of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP held from October 20 to 23, 2025, preliminary figures indicated that more than thirty Rear Admirals, including Hu Zhongming, were absent. Many insiders with ties to the military revealed to Da Ji Yuan beforehand that around 40% of the active-duty Rear Admirals who were absent from the plenum were under investigation by the Military Discipline Inspection Commission, with the majority likely to face military court trials, indicating that the PLA’s internal purge has entered a profound stage.
On November 5, 2025, CCP leader Xi Jinping attended the commissioning ceremony of the third aircraft carrier, the “Fujian Ship,” in Sanya, Hainan. Only one Rear Admiral, Deputy Chairman of the Military Commission Zhang Shengmin, was present. Navy Commander Hu Zhongming, along with Southern Theater Commander Wu Yanan and Political Commissar Wang Wenquan were notably absent.
Former Chinese media personality Zhao Lanjian, who first disclosed the news of the arrest of Deputy Chairman of the Military Commission He Weidong, revealed on June 20, 2025, that the PLA had initiated a new round of large-scale purges, resulting in 39 senior officers being collectively dismissed from their positions, including three Rear Admirals who were the “number one” figures in the Navy, the Central Theater, and the Southern Theater. At that time, it was interpreted by the public that the three dismissed Rear Admirals were Navy Commander Hu Zhongming, Central Theater Commander Wang Qiang, and Southern Theater Political Commissar Wang Wenquan.
Public records show that Hu Zhongming, born in Qingdao, Shandong province in January 1964, has served in the PLA Navy for a long time, holding positions such as Commander of the Navy’s Second Submarine Base and Assistant Chief of Staff of the Navy. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in July 2014.
During Miao Hua’s tenure as the Navy Political Commissar from December 2014 to August 2017, Hu Zhongming was promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff of the Navy in 2016.
Following Miao Hua’s term as a member of the Military Commission and Director of the Political Work Department from August 2017 to November 2024, overseeing the assessment and promotion of senior officers, Hu Zhongming was appointed Deputy Commander of the Northern Theater in December 2019, concurrently serving as Commander of the Northern Theater Navy, and was promoted to Vice Admiral. In December 2021, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Navy, and in December 2023, he succeeded Dong Jun as Navy Commander, being promoted to Admiral.
After Miao Hua’s downfall, numerous Navy colleagues and former subordinates associated with him have encountered troubles. Former Navy Political Commissar Yuan Huazhi, was officially announced to have fallen from grace on October 17, 2025, alongside He Weidong, Miao Hua, and nine other Rear Admirals. Former Navy Commander Shen Jinlong and former Navy Political Commissar Qin Shengxiang were stripped of their status as National People’s Congress delegates on February 26, 2026.