Following the Third Plenum, the unusual actions of the Communist Party leader have been frequently reported. He not only replaced two office directors but also organized a Politburo study session on “Border and Coastal Defense,” and reshuffled the commanders of the three major war zones. Meanwhile, his exposure in Party media has noticeably decreased. These moves are interpreted by the public as Xi Jinping facing pressure from within the Party. Analysts believe that Xi’s significant reshuffling of war zone commanders is reminiscent of Mao Zedong’s late-era tactics to consolidate power and guard against coups.
As rumors circulated about the Communist Party leader falling ill and facing internal challenges, a new “Director of the State President’s Office” named Han Shiming suddenly appeared by Xi Jinping’s side.
Little is known about Han Shiming’s personal information, with public records only showing that he was born in 1971, graduated from Hangzhou University, and served as a delegate in the 20th Congress of the Communist Party. He previously worked in the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee’s General Office, served as Deputy Secretary-General of the Hangzhou Municipal Committee, and Secretary of the Municipal Authority.
After Deng Xiaoping, the position of Director of the State Office of the President was held by Jia Yan’an (during Jiang Zemin’s era), Chen Shijiao (under Hu Jintao’s leadership), and Ding Xuexiang (Han Shiming’s predecessor). The official announcement of when Han Shiming officially succeeded Ding Xuexiang has never been made public.
Meanwhile, there has been a change in the Director of the General Office of the Central Military Commission. Former Director of the General Office, Zhong Shaojun, reportedly has been reassigned as a political commissar at the National Defense University; while retired officer Fang Yongxiang, former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, has taken over the role, becoming a new key figure for the Communist Party leader.
On the afternoon of July 30, the Communist Party’s Politburo collectively studied “Border and Coastal Defense.” Xi Jinping stated that rapid changes are occurring in the global environment, emphasizing the need for the military to thoroughly implement national defense tasks. The Communist Party’s Politburo’s collective study on “Border and Coastal Defense” on the eve of the August 1st Army Day has garnered public attention.
In addition to the replacement of two office directors by Xi and the communist Politburo’s collective study on “Border and Coastal Defense,” Xi Jinping also orchestrated a reshuffle of the commanders of the three major war zones. These military-related actions have raised concerns about whether they are related to speculation about challenges to his power.
Political commentator Tang Jingyuan told Epoch Times, “It is definite that Xi Jinping’s authority within the Party is being challenged.” Since the Third Plenum, Xi Jinping has displayed some unusual behaviors. For instance, he rarely publicly acknowledged difficulties in economic development, which essentially admits the failure of his economic policies for which he bears responsibility. Moreover, the tone of propaganda by Party media regarding Xi has been toned down, evidenced by his reduced frequency of appearing on the front page headlines of newspapers.
“These signs indicate that Xi Jinping’s governance failures have led to his authority within the Party being questioned and, to some extent, challenged. In order to consolidate power and guard against coups, Xi, like Mao Zedong did in the past, is resorting to reshuffling war zone commanders,” Tang Jingyuan stated.
On July 31, Liaoning Province held a symposium for the August 1st Army Day, and Northern Theater Commander Huang Ming attended. This confirmed rumors of Huang Ming’s transfer from Central Theater Commander to Northern Theater Commander.
Promoted to General in January 2023, Huang Ming, a member of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party, served as the Central Theater Commander from January last year until July this year, a tenure of one and a half years.
The Chinese military is currently divided into five war zones: Eastern, Southern, Western, Northern, and Central. The Central Theater oversees the armed forces of seven provinces and municipalities directly under the control of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, and Hubei.
The Central Theater’s command is stationed in Beijing, not only engaging in defense and supporting missions in its region but also serving as a crucial area for safeguarding the Communist Party’s capital and the central authorities. It comprises the former Beijing Military Region (except for Inner Mongolia), Jinan Military Region, Xi’an Military Region in Shaanxi Province, and Guangzhou Military Region in Hubei Province, with multiple military branches including the army, navy, and air force.
Since the establishment of the five major war zones in February 2016, the Central Theater has witnessed the most frequent changes in leadership, with five General Commanders replaced to date: Han Weiguo (January 2016 to August 2017), Yi Xiaoguang (August 2017 to August 2021), Lin Xiangyang (August 2021 to January 2022), Wu Yanan (January 2022 to January 2023), and Huang Ming (January 2023 to August 2024). This underscores the Communist Party leader’s focus on the Central Theater. Currently, Huang Ming’s successor remains unclear.
Regarding the issue of loyalty of senior military leaders to Xi Jinping, Tang Jingyuan said, “Senior Chinese military generals are generally ‘two-faced’ towards the Party leader, including many close aides promoted by Xi himself.”
Tang Jingyuan explained that the deep-rooted reason is Xi’s insistence on provoking a Cold War with the United States, even potentially engaging in a hot war around the Taiwan Strait. High-level commanders are well aware of the strength and corruption within the Chinese military, believing that “once the war begins, it will be doomsday, and they are not willing to be buried with Xi.” This has led to the emergence of individuals like Li Shangfu and Wei Fengzhi—deemed “two-faced”—as a result of Xi’s major misjudgment.
“When the former Communist Party leader Mao Zedong fell seriously ill in his later years, he became distrustful of the regional theater commanders. Acknowledging Deng Xiaoping’s suggestion, in order to prevent the regional commanders from forming localized power bases and initiating mutinies, Mao periodically rotated the theater commanders. By making ‘generals not know troops, and troops not know generals,’ this strategy aimed at solidifying power boldly. Now, Xi Jinping seems to be following Mao’s approach, seen as instability within the military and his lack of trust in them,” he stated.
According to the official website of the Guangdong Provincial Government of the Communist Party of China, the day before the August 1st Army Day, Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee Huang Kunming visited the Southern Theater Command of the Chinese military for condolences. However, at the related meeting, the Southern Theater Commander in attendance was not Wang Xiubin but the former Central Theater Commander Wu Yanan. It was only then that the public became aware of the quiet replacement of the Southern Theater Commander.