On September 21, 2026, at 13:56 Beijing time, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official media Xinhua News Agency reported that the CCP Political Bureau held a meeting to discuss the “important issue of advancing comprehensive and strict governance of the Party.” CCP leader Xi Jinping presided over the meeting. It was decided during the meeting that the 20th Fifth Plenary Session would be held from October 26 to 29, 2026. The Xinhua News Agency’s general report concluded by stating that “the meeting also discussed other matters.”
In a departure from the usual practice, Xi Jinping called for an early convening of the Political Bureau meeting, with a 34-day interval before the Fifth Plenary Session. The official communication following the Political Bureau meeting about Xi’s visit to the United States and the handling of the Zhang Youxia case raised speculation about the connections and underlying details.
Traditionally, the CCP Political Bureau meeting is held at the end of each month. This particular meeting was unusually convened several days in advance, with a 34-day interval before the Fifth Plenary Session – a departure from previous Political Bureau meetings held before past plenary sessions following the 20th National Congress.
On September 29, 2025, the CCP Political Bureau held a meeting to decide that the 20th Fourth Plenary Session would be held from October 20 to 23, 2026, with a 20-day interval between the Political Bureau meeting and the Fourth Plenary Session.
On June 27, 2024, the CCP Political Bureau meeting decided that the 20th Third Plenary Session would be held from July 15 to 18, 2024, with a 20-day interval between the meeting and the Third Plenary Session.
On February 21, 2023, the CCP Political Bureau meeting decided that the 20th Second Plenary Session would be held from February 26 to 28, 2023, with only a 4-day interval between the meeting and the Second Plenary Session.
Shortly after the CCP Political Bureau meeting, around 15:00 on September 21, 2026, Xinhua Net reported that Xi Jinping would conduct a state visit to the United States from September 23 to 25, 2026.
At 18:00 on September 21, 2026, Xinhua Net published an article titled “Zhang Youxia, Liu Zhenli Expelled from Party and Military for Serious Violations of Discipline and Law.” The report stated that on September 21, the CCP Political Bureau meeting reviewed and approved the Central Military Commission’s report and handling opinions on the issues of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli.
It was noted that the content related to the CCP Political Bureau meeting reviewing the cases of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli did not appear in the initial general report on the Political Bureau meeting released by Xinhua News Agency at 13:56 on September 21, 2026. Instead, a separate report was issued four hours later. Additionally, at around 21:00 on September 21, Xinhua Net’s homepage highlighted the Political Bureau meeting and Xi’s upcoming visit to the US, while the news of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli being expelled from the Party and the military was not prominently featured.
Over the past three years, there has been a continuous purge within the CCP military, with many active and retired generals falling from grace. Among the 20th CCP Military Commission members, only Chairman Xi Jinping and Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin remain. Xinhua News Agency reported that the Political Bureau meeting reviewed and approved the Central Military Commission’s report and handling opinions on the issues of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli; in reality, Xi Jinping and Zhang Shengmin would categorize the cases of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, turning them into ironclad cases through the Political Bureau meeting process.
The official report criticized Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli for “seriously violating political discipline and rules, forming cliques, and not being loyal or honest to the Party.” This implied disloyalty of Zhang and Liu towards Xi, corroborating previous rumors about their opposition to Xi. However, the characterization was somewhat toned down compared to previous military reports accusing them of “seriously trampling and disrupting the military chairman’s responsibility system” or “endangering the Party’s governing foundation.”
Furthermore, the official report indicated that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli “received substantial amounts of money,” engaged in “irregular acceptance of gifts and cash,” and that “political and economic issues were intertwined, with corruption and malfeasance coexisting, involving a particularly large amount of money, extremely serious in nature, and having a very negative impact”; this suggested that Xi used the charges of corruption to solidify the cases of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, making it difficult for them to appeal or turn the tables.
This mirrors similar cases such as former Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang, former Vice Chairman of the Military Commission Guo Boxiong, and former Military Commission member Fang Fenghui. Zhou Yongkang, Guo Boxiong, and Fang Fenghui were all exposed for allegedly resisting Xi and even being involved in coup attempts against him; ultimately, they were sentenced on corruption charges, with political crimes not disclosed to the public.
Since the Third Plenary Session of July 2024, Xi Jinping’s health and power crises have not been resolved. Rumors have persisted about Xi suffering from a stroke, brain tumor, cirrhosis, and undergoing secret surgeries. During the BRICS Summit in India on September 12-13, 2026, Xi’s unsteady gait attracted attention, and his absence from the summit banquet due to “physical discomfort” sparked speculations.
On the other hand, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli are both field commanders who fought in the Vietnam War, holding key positions in the former Beijing Military Region, Central Theater Command, and the Military Commission. Zhang Youxia has ties to the “princeling” faction and the second-generation red aristocracy. Both wield significant influence in the military and politics. Reports suggest that after their downfall, there has been intense dissent and ferment in the military, with lingering discontent and unrest.
From a timeline perspective, Xi could have waited until after his US visit from September 23 to 25 to convene the Political Bureau meeting, as per usual at the end of the month. The early gathering of the meeting on the eve of his US visit to set the date for the Fifth Plenary Session and resolve the Zhang Youxia case may be related to concerns about domestic political turmoil and a loss of control during his overseas trip; this could be seen as one of Xi’s preemptive measures to guard against anti-Xi forces attempting to exonerate Zhang Youxia or even stage a political coup. This also reflects the unresolved crisis within Xi’s military, with undercurrents of instability in the political landscape of Zhongnanhai.
(Originally published on September 21, 2026, by Epoch Times)