Entering 2026 marks the beginning of the “Year of the Red Sheep and the Red Horse” as mentioned in traditional Chinese culture. With a series of major domestic and foreign policy mistakes made by the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), described as a continuous string of “foolish moves leading to missteps,” the CCP leaders are facing unprecedented challenges both internally and externally. Currently, what concerns the CCP leaders the most is not the state affairs or people’s livelihoods, but the fear of being the first to leave.
Now, based on my observations, the CCP leaders are most worried about three crucial life-or-death matters:
On March 7th, Xi Jinping warned during a meeting with the national People’s Liberation Army delegation, “The military holds the guns. There must not be anyone in the military who harbors doubts about the Party, nor can there be a haven for corrupt individuals. We must resolutely advance the fight against corruption.”
Xi’s words reveal his deep concern about the “doubters” among the high-ranking military leaders, which may be the biggest cause of his restlessness.
When soldiers suddenly turn their guns, it threatens not only Xi’s power but also his personal safety.
However, the dilemma lies in Xi’s view – who among the senior military leaders is not a “doubter”?
Since Xi became the Chairman of the Central Military Commission in 2012, he has been purging the military of these “doubters” among the high-ranking officers. According to my preliminary estimate, during Xi’s first term of 5 years, up to 160 high-ranking military officials may have been purged, and during his second term of 5 years, over 110 “doubters” might have been removed. From the beginning of Xi’s third term until now, more than 140 “doubters” in the military may have been eliminated.
Especially in the 20th Central Military Commission personally formed by Xi, including Xi himself, out of the 7 members, 5 have been purged by Xi, namely: Zhang Youxia, member of the Politburo of the CCP, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission; General Wei Fenghe, member of the Politburo of the CCP, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission; Li Shangfu, member of the Central Military Commission, State Councilor, Minister of National Defense; Miao Hua, member of the Central Military Commission, Director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission; and Liu Zhenli, member of the Central Military Commission, Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Department. That is to say, out of the 7 members in the leadership team of the Central Military Commission personally led by Xi, 5 are considered “doubters.”
Among them, Wei Fenghe was a high-ranking CCP official that Xi personally promoted and valued, despite not being a delegate to the 20th Party Congress, nor a member of the 19th Central Committee of the CCP or a candidate member. Xi still promoted him three levels up to become the third in command of the military to assist in Xi’s “political army-building.”
Wei Fenghe had no reason to be a “doubter”. However, on October 17, 2025, Xi’s authority announced that Wei Fenghe had “seriously violated party discipline, suspected of serious crimes, with especially enormous amounts, extremely serious nature, and extremely heinous consequences,” leading to his expulsion from the Party, the military, and prosecution.
When even such a high-ranking military official like Wei Fenghe becomes a “doubter,” then who among the senior leaders of the CCP’s military does Xi not see as a “doubter”?
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States began releasing 4 short recruitment videos in Simplified Chinese from 2025, and the total views on YouTube have reached nearly 120 million.
Among them, the video “CIA’s Security Liaison Guidance” garnered a staggering 64.97 million views. Others, like “Reasons for Choosing Cooperation: Becoming Masters of Fate” had 20.76 million views; “Reasons for Stepping Forward: To Save the Future” had 18.72 million views; and “Reasons for Choosing Cooperation: Creating a Better Vision” had 15.13 million views.
What does this 120 million view count signify? Apart from the curiosity of overseas Chinese and the monitoring officers of the CCP’s national security agencies, a vast number of these views likely originated from Chinese netizens, including officials within the CCP system.
CIA Director Ratcliffe openly stated that these videos have “reached many Chinese people” and are beginning to “have an effect.” With 120 million views, even if only 0.01% of the viewers take actual action, it could result in dozens or even hundreds of high-value informants.
Those with detailed knowledge of the daily activities, lives, psychological tendencies, and behavioral habits of the highest leaders of the CCP, those with access to military intelligence, classified technology, and nuclear weapon secrets, those privy to the plans for a Taiwan Strait operation, if they were to “build bridges openly while crossing them discreetly,” the consequences are self-evident.
On February 28th, 2026, a joint US-Israeli strike targeted and eliminated over 40 senior officials, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei. This operation was based on precise, confidential information obtained about the scheduled secret meeting of Khamenei and other officials at a specific time and location.
On January 3rd, 2026, US Special Forces captured Venezuelan President Maduro. One of the key reasons for this successful operation was due to someone within Venezuela who provided the CIA with every detail of Maduro’s daily life, including what he ate, drank, where he slept, and the specifics of his “secure residence.”
Prior to this, Israel carried out targeted strikes against 54 Hamas leaders with the support of Mossad, having gained detailed covert information about their activities.
Xi Jinping’s greatest fear is not those who have no real threat to him, but those around him who profess “absolute loyalty” to his face while secretly providing information to foreign entities, ensuring an exit strategy for themselves and their families – these are the “absolutely disloyal” “doubters”.
Since Xi took office in 2012, under the guise of “anti-corruption and tiger-hunting,” he has conducted repeated large-scale purges of high-ranking officials in the party, government, and military who posed a potential threat to his power.
Based on my preliminary data, as of March 17, 2026, Xi has purged a total of 1051 deputy provincial-level officials and other central-level cadres. This includes 440 individuals from 2012 to 2017, 228 from 2017 to 2022, 367 from 2022 to 2025, and 16 since 2026.
The targets purged by Xi include members such as members of the Politburo Standing Committee, Politburo members, main officials of committees, departments, bureaus, offices under the central Party and State organs, high-ranking officials of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, top officials of the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, and the National Supervisory Commission, party secretaries, deputy secretaries of provinces, autonomous regions, and direct-administered municipalities, governors and vice governors, directors and deputy directors of the People’s Congress, chairs and vice chairs of the CPPCC, secretaries and deputy secretaries of Politics and Law Committees, high-ranking officials from the public security, procuratorate, judiciary, and law enforcement sectors, as well as high-ranking officials from state-owned enterprises and institutions.
Due to Xi’s anti-corruption campaigns not being truly about eradicating corruption but rather as a tool for power struggles, considering Xi’s knowledge that many high-ranking party, government, and military officials are severely corrupt but allows them to evade prosecution, and since Xi had enshrined the most corrupt figures in the party, government, and military before his tenure – the previous CCP dictator Jiang Zemin – as “great figures” in the Party, all the central-level and other central cadres purged by Xi harbor a sense of resentment towards him. Not only do they harbor this resentment, but many of them hold a deep-seated hatred towards Xi and vow to eliminate him at the earliest opportunity.
Within the CCP system, those who ascend to deputy provincial level and higher positions and other central cadres have built intricate networks from top to bottom, domestically and internationally. Their influence far exceeds that of ordinary workers, farmers, and intellectuals. These purged high-ranking central cadres, along with their families, children, relatives, and backers, are the most dissatisfied with Xi. Given their considerable influence, they pose the greatest threat to Xi among the anti-Xi faction.
All these purged high-ranking officials and their circles of family, friends, and backers are Xi’s nightmares. Whether inside the country or abroad, they closely monitor Xi’s every move and word, waiting for any opportunity to remove him from power.
In recent years, there has been a growing chorus of calls, both domestically and internationally, to criticize Xi, call for his resignation, or demand his removal from office. Many of these voices are orchestrated by Xi’s “political enemies” and their circles.
Back in 1900, during the invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance into Beijing, there were many locals who volunteered to guide the foreign forces, showing them the way to climb walls or indicating which city gates would lead them fastest to the Forbidden City. These individuals were known as “guides.”
On January 3, 2026, when the US military captured Venezuelan President Maduro, there were also “guides” assisting the US military within Maduro’s inner circle.
On February 28, 2026, as the US-Israeli coalition waged war to eliminate the root of terrorism in the Middle East – the Iranian authoritarian regime, Supreme Leader Khamenei had “guides” within his circle guiding the US and Israel forces.
Today’s China under CCP rule is likely filled with the largest number of “guides” within the circle of CCP leaders. Once a major political shift occurs within the CCP, these “guides” may rush out in full force.
Just the thought of having “guides” everywhere, from Beijing to all corners of the country and even globally, would likely make the CCP leaders, including Xi, sleepless at night!
First published by Epoch Times.