On June 7, CCP leader and top military chairman Xi Jinping met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing.
In past meetings between Chinese and Pakistani leaders, Xi is usually accompanied by senior officials from foreign affairs or officials of the State Council mainly focusing on economic issues.
In a rare move, Mr. Zhang attended the meeting for the first time since October 2017, when he was promoted to vice-chairman of the military committee. Mr. Zhang born in July 1950, was one of the few high-ranking CCP military officials with combat experience. He fought in the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War.
During the diplomatic event, Mr. Zhang and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Asim Munir, were dressed in suits instead of military attire.
Chen Pokong, a U.S.-based political analyst, told The Epoch Times that the unified appearance may be a diplomatic request from Xi to his ally Pakistan for certain considerations. “The most direct reason is that Xi does not feel assured with Gen. Zhang and is attempting to weaken Zhang’s military influence.”
Possible Personnel Changes
According to Mr. Chen, a surprising personnel change will be announced at the Third Plenary Session, a crucial party conference to be held in July. Mr. Chen said, “My guess is Zhang may move to a civilian post and stop serving as vice chairman of the military commission.”Mr. Chen cited video footage broadcast by state-run CCTV that showed Mr. Zhang sitting near Xi in a suit instead of a military uniform and said it was an unusual signal to the outside as Mr. Zhang has been seen wearing military uniforms on all political occasions.
Mr. Zhang’s father, Zhang Zongsun, was a senior military general. He and Xi’s father, Xi Zhongxun, were comrades in arms during the war years. Both heirs of the party patriarchs, Xi and Mr. Zhang, worked well together to consolidate Xi’s power.
“Before the 20th National Congress in October 2022, Zhang assisted Xi to appease the various factions in the military. For example, a major purge of the Central Security Bureau. Many colonel-rank officers suspected of disloyalty to Xi were suspended from duty and scrutinized by the military disciplinary committee.
“However, with the dominance of Xi and his one-man dictatorship, after he secured the third term in the 20th National Congress, he has begun to feel that those who hold military power are a security risk to him,” Mr. Chen said.
Xi may use people he trusts, such as his wife, Peng Liyuan, who demonstrated her diplomatic skills in accompanying Xi’s visit to Europe in May. “Ms. Peng may be promoted at the upcoming party session, as a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, or a member of the Central Military Commission,” Mr. Chen predicted.
Military Cleansing
Former defense minister Li Shangfu was removed in October 2023. According to Mr. Chen, his fall from grace is linked to corruption or military leaks during his tenure as head of the Central Military Commission’s Equipment Development Department from September 2017 to October 2022.
On July 26, 2023, the Equipment Development Department of the Military Commission released an announcement requesting relevant personnel to report “clues of corruption in the equipment procurement bidding process starting in October 2017.”
Mr. Chen noted: “This timing of accountability intentionally avoided Li’s predecessor, Zhang, because Xi dared not investigate, and if he did, Zhang would also be implicated.
“Xi does not want to face a situation where the military may be out of control, so it is assumed that Xi will wait until the end of Zhang’s current term of office to have Zhang step down from the military,” he said, adding the July party meeting could be an opportunity for Xi to make public his decision on it.
