The Deputy Commander of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese Communist Party, General Yang Zhibin, expressed his loyalty to Party leader Xi Jinping in an article published by the party’s official media on April 8th. He emphasized the need to enhance combat readiness and crack down on fraud. This echoes previous allegations that the former Vice Chairman of the Military Commission, He Weidong, targeted another Vice Chairman, Zhang Youxia. Analysts suggest this may confirm rumors of power struggles among senior military officials.
In the article published in the Central Party School’s organ, Study Times, Yang Zhibin repeatedly mentioned “Chairman Xi” and “new combat effectiveness,” referring to the “profound lessons learned from the serious disciplinary and legal violations of senior military officials.” However, no specific officials were named in the article.
The article emphasized the need to “strictly implement combat readiness, counteract false preparedness deviating from a combat focus,” and so forth.
During the “Two Sessions” of the Chinese Communist Party in March 2024, then Vice Chairman of the Military Commission, He Weidong, vowed to combat the military’s “false combat capabilities” in a representative military conference. The South China Morning Post reported on March 9, 2024, that it had obtained records of this meeting.
Among the two former Vice Chairmen of the Military Commission, Zhang Youxia was in charge of military affairs, including equipment development and training management, while He Weidong primarily handled political work, including military discipline, personnel matters, and propaganda. Both were members of the political bureau, with Zhang Youxia holding a higher position, while He Weidong was considered closer to Xi Jinping, essentially acting as a “supervisor” for Xi.
In an article written by independent commentator Du Zheng on February 4th in Taiwan’s Up Media, it was suggested that He Weidong’s previous emphasis on combat readiness was actually aimed at Zhang Youxia for purchasing defective equipment and falsifying training within the military. This led to a counterattack by Zhang Youxia, gathering evidence of corruption against He Weidong, specifically involving the selling of official positions, pressuring Xi Jinping to approve an investigation. In November 2024, Miao Hua was “suspended for investigation”. After the conclusion of the National People’s Congress in March 2025, He Weidong suddenly disappeared. It wasn’t until October last year that He Weidong and others were toppled.
Du Zheng’s article also pointed out that the Secretary of the Disciplinary Inspection Commission, Zhang Shengmin, was initially a fence-sitter who was courted by both Xi and Zhang Youxia. When Xi and He Weidong wanted to investigate equipment corruption, Zhang Shengmin took action. When Zhang Youxia sought to overthrow He Weidong, he also sought Zhang Shengmin’s assistance. However, when Xi eventually decided to oust Zhang Youxia, Zhang Shengmin again weighed his options and ultimately sided with Xi, leading to Zhang Youxia’s downfall on January 24th alongside Military Commission Member Liu Zhenli.
Current affairs commentator Li Linyi told Epoch Times that Yang Zhibin’s public declaration of loyalty to Xi, emphasizing He Weidong’s slogan of “cracking down on false combat capabilities,” seems to validate the previous infighting between He Weidong and Zhang Youxia.
Public records show that Yang Zhibin was born in April 1963 in Anyang, Henan Province. He began his military career in the Nanjing Military Region Air Force Aviation Corps, serving as Commander of the Shanghai Air Force Command, Wuhan Air Force Command, Fuzhou Air Force Command, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Lanzhou Military Region and Chief of Staff of the Lanzhou Air Force, among other positions. In September 2025, he was transferred to become Deputy Commander of the Eastern Theater Command and later promoted to General and Commander of the Eastern Theater Command in December 2025.
After a major purge at the top levels of the Chinese Communist Party, the Central Military Commission has reduced its members from seven post-2022 handover to just two currently. Among active generals, there have been significant dismissals, with only a few remaining, including Deputy Chairman of the Military Commission Zhang Shengmin, Defense Minister Dong Jun, Eastern Theater Commander Yang Zhibin, and Central Theater Commander Han Shengyan.
In the recent turmoil within the military, the Eastern Theater Command has been a focal point of “cleansing.” Before the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee last October, nine senior generals were expelled from the party and the military, with a majority of them coming from the Eastern Theater Command, including Miao Hua, He Weidong, Lin Xiangyang, as well as Commander of the Armed Police Force Wang Chunning, and Wang Xiubin, Executive Deputy Director of the Central Military Commission’s Joint Operations Command Center. At the Fourth Plenary Session, in addition to the announced downfall of He Weidong and others, 14 generals who were members of the Central Committee also “disappeared,” including Eastern Theater Political Commissar Liu Qingsong.
Yang Zhibin’s article stressed, “There must be no one in the military with a wavering loyalty to the Party, and no haven for corrupt individuals.” This echoes Xi Jinping’s emphasis during a meeting with the military’s delegation to the National People’s Congress on March 7th.
Former Discipline Inspection Commission official Wang Youqun wrote a piece for Epoch Times, stating that Xi’s remarks reveal his deep concern about the presence of “wavering individuals” among senior military leaders, probably the biggest worry that keeps Xi up at night. If even high-ranking officials like He Weidong, whom Xi personally promoted, are considered “wavering individuals,” then whom among the senior leadership of the Chinese Communist military does Xi view as loyal?