In recent years, serious internal strife has been erupting within the Chinese Communist Party’s military, with a large number of generals personally promoted by Xi Jinping, including Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, He Weidong, being ousted. The relationship between Xi and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, appears to be delicate. During the recent annual military training of the CCP, official reports made no mention of Xi Jinping or his military slogans, sparking speculation once again. It was discovered by Epoch Times that the practice of Xi personally issuing training orders, which began in 2018, was stopped in 2023.
According to a report from CCTV, on January 4, 2026 (the first working day of the New Year), the entire military commenced its annual training, kicking off a new year of military exercises. All branches of the military simultaneously launched realistic combat training, with the military emphasizing in its statement, “Starting training at the beginning, and starting up strictly.”
Several official media outlets reprinted the report from CCTV, with a short length of about a thousand words, accompanied by photos and videos, yet the entire report did not mention Xi Jinping or his “Strong Military Thought” or other military slogans proposed by Xi.
This annual training commencement continues the tradition of unified training on the first working day of each year. Epoch Times reporters reviewed past reports and found that on January 3, 2018, the Central Military Commission held its first training mobilization meeting, where Xi Jinping was present to issue the training orders to the entire military. From 2019 to 2022, Xi Jinping signed the annual No. 1 order of the Central Military Commission to issue the training mobilization orders to the entire military, with the official media also extensively promoting and praising Xi’s so-called “Strong Military Thought.” However, in 2023, during the annual military training, only a low-key military video was released to announce the training news, without any specific orders from Xi or any military unit expressing loyalty to Xi. In 2024, 2025, and this year, the official reports on the training commencement refrained from mentioning Xi Jinping or his slogans.
Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, is in charge of military training.
Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research analyst, Shen Mingshi, told Epoch Times that after Xi Jinping personally issued the military training mobilization orders each year following the military reform, the absence of any information related to Xi now indeed raises suspicions regarding whether his authority within the military has been diluted or if he no longer prioritizes military training. However, the lack of transparency within the Chinese Communist military makes it difficult to verify.
He pointed out that military training was previously considered a top priority by Xi Jinping, who would convene many troops to listen to his speeches, focusing largely on formalities to ensure the troops expressed loyalty. It is also possible that Xi Jinping’s authority has been handed over to Zhang Youxia, who may not favor this formalistic approach, thus issuing orders for each military branch to plan their own training.
Shen Mingshi mentioned that considering the recent incident where less than 200 American troops entered the capital of Venezuela for the arrest of Maduro, elitism is crucial, while the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) tends to focus on appearances, which may result in issues with their training. Based on official reports, the joint operational training of the PLA is relatively lacking, with most exercises being related to Taiwan, but there is a shortage of large-scale joint operational training or confrontational exercises between units, which may lead to a decline in their combat readiness.
Su Ziyun, Director of the Institute of Strategy and Resources at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taiwan, believes that the absence of any mention of Xi or his slogans during the CCP’s military training indicates potential issues with Xi’s status. Due to the significant “purge” within the military, there were reports a couple of years ago emphasizing “collective leadership” in military newspapers, which diverged from Xi Jinping’s “Party Commands the Gun” line. At present, there may exist a situation where he is being softly sidelined, but it is challenging for outsiders to discern the reality, thus it requires further observation.
Since 2023, the CCP has been conducting a “cleaning” under the guise of anti-corruption within the military. Initially, the commanders of the Rocket Force and their political commissar were dismissed, while at the same time, an investigation was launched into corrupt equipment systems, leading to the removal of former Minister of National Defense, Li Shangfu, and other generals. In 2024, many articles in the CCP’s military media talked extensively about “taking the lead in upholding collective leadership,” fueling speculation about Xi Jinping’s military authority being sidelined.
Around the time of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP in October 2025, another group of military leaders, including Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, He Weidong, and Director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission, Miao Hua, were taken down. They were all promoted after Xi Jinping came to power, with He Weidong and Miao Hua being close confidants of Xi.
As Zhang Shenmin, who was appointed Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission at the Fourth Plenary Session, did not enter the Political Bureau, Zhang Youxia became the only member of the Political Bureau of the entire military.
Independent commentator Du Zheng, in an article for Taiwanese media “Up Media,” pointed out that Zhang Youxia now appears to be all-powerful in the military, almost “reigning” over it.
Du Zheng believes that the downfall of He Weidong, Miao Hua, and other members of the “Fujian clique” within the military is due to internal strife with Zhang Youxia. In the past, the two Vice Chairmen of the Central Military Commission, with Zhang Youxia in charge of military affairs including equipment development and training management, while He Weidong mainly handled political work, including military discipline, personnel, and propaganda, effectively playing the role of a “supervisor.” Both were members of the Political Bureau, and although Zhang Youxia’s rank was higher, He Weidong wielded more power at the time.
During the CCP’s “Two Sessions” in March 2024, He Weidong mentioned during a military representative meeting the necessity to combat the “false combat capabilities” of the troops. The South China Morning Post reported on this incident on March 9, 2024, and obtained records of the meeting.
Du Zheng stated that He Weidong’s criticism might have been directed towards deficiencies in equipment procurement and deceiving behavior within the troops during training, leading to a retaliatory action from Zhang Youxia’s faction, exposing He Weidong’s ally, Miao Hua, for peddling positions. Xi had no choice but to agree to an investigation. He Weidong, originally from a civilian background, was ultimately unable to contend against the veteran party figure, Zhang Youxia.
It is worth noting that Wang Peng, a Lieutenant General and Minister of the Training Management Department of the Central Military Commission, was officially confirmed to have fallen from grace at the end of last year.