Zhang Youxia, the first-ranked vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) Central Military Commission, has to date provided strong support to help Chinese leader Xi Jinping secure power. But recently, out of nine military generals expelled by the central authorities, three are Mr. Zhang’s former subordinates. A China expert believes that the relationship between Mr. Xi and Mr. Zhang is showing signs of strain.
Chinese authorities announced on Dec. 29 that nine military generals had been disqualified by the National People’s Congress (NPC), including three generals and at least four lieutenant generals, mainly from the Rocket Force and the Central Military Commission’s Equipment Development Department (EDD). The official announcement did not give any reasons for their dismissal.
Strained Relationship Between Xi and Zhang
According to U.S.-based China expert and political commentator Chen Pokong, the EDD is under Zhang Youxia’s purview. Although Mr. Zhang himself is not yet out of power, the fact that at least three of the nine generals removed from the NPC are associated with him suggests that his relationship with Mr. Xi is currently very tense.In an interview with The Epoch Times on Dec. 31, Mr. Chen said that the disqualified generals who appeared in the announcement this time are those who hold positions in the Standing Committee of the NPC. Others outside the NPC have not yet been announced.
“The current situation of the CCP military is very complicated. No branch of the military is really loyal to Xi Jinping, and it is not clear that any general is really loyal to Xi Jinping. Therefore, he is using one force to fight another force to achieve his goals. In the past, he used Zhang Youxia to fight against the Hu Jintao-Li Keqiang faction and other factions, and his purpose was to consolidate power. Now, he is using He Weidong to fight against Zhang Youxia. That is, he is abandoning Zhang after he is no longer needed. Moreover, at this point, Xi Jinping no longer has any trust in Zhang Youxia,” Mr. Chen said.
He Weidong, a newly appointed vice chairman of the Central Military Commission that oversees the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Chinese police, and militia, is another close confidant of Mr. Xi.
According to Mr. Chen’s analysis, Mr. Xi has recently adopted two tactics to marginalize Mr. Zhang. One was to have Mr. He preside over the day-to-day work of the Central Military Commission; the other was to intentionally delay the process of appointing a new defense minister for a few months in order to avoid ascending Liu Zhenli, who was the most popular candidate for the post.
Instead, the CCP waited until Dec. 29 to announce the appointment of former Navy Commander Dong Jun as the new defense minister, replacing Li Shangfu who disappeared from public view in late August.
Liu Zhenli is a member of the Central Military Commission and Chief of Staff of the General Staff Department. He is the youngest active general in the CCP military with real-world experience. Having fought in the war against Vietnam from 1986 to 1987, he and Mr. Zhang developed a relationship as comrades-in-arms as well as subordinate and superior.
“This means that Xi Jinping has to guard against Liu Zhenli, and his main target is Zhang Youxia,” Mr. Chen explained. “This is because Dong Jun has no base and no connections in the top echelon. The defense minister is a position with no real power or function to begin with, and with no connections in Beijing, he is even weaker. Xi Jinping doesn’t dare to use Liu Zhenli because if there is a coup in the military, both Liu Zhenli and Zhang Youxia have the ability and strength to take action. These two are the only two people in the top echelon of the Central Military Commission who have actual combat experience, and the others have never even seen the shooting from a real gun.”
According to Mr. Chen, Mr. Xi not only alienated Mr. Zhang but also marginalized and spied on him. However, he has refrained from acting against Mr. Zhang.
“Given Zhang’s status as a Politburo member and the first Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, any aggressive move by Xi would have been too impactful. Furthermore, Zhang’s strong military connections made Xi cautious about making a move.” Mr. Chen explained.
Zhang Played Critical Role in Helping Xi Consolidate Power
Since the beginning of Mr. Xi’s second term, the CCP has been fighting both internally and externally, often with the backing of the military. Mr. Xi’s rule has been underpinned by Zhang Youxia’s support as a military leader.
According to Hong Kong media Bowen Press, there was a major change in personnel in the CCP’s Central Security Bureau in March 2015. Under the arrangement of Mr. Xi and with the backing of the 38th Army, Mr. Zhang personally led a team to remove several key officials within the security bureau.
On Oct. 11, 2021, at a crucial time when Mr. Xi was breaking the CCP’s established rules and seeking re-election for his third term, the regime’s military newspaper, PLA Daily, suddenly published an article about a historical event during the Ming Dynasty, the “Restoration of Nangong.” The article seems to draw on the past to warn the military generals that if the “previous emperor” starts a coup d’état to regain the throne, you’d better stand by and do nothing.
After the publication of this article in the PLA Daily, rumors that “Jiang Zemin and Zeng Qinghong will be restored” became widespread, and Beijing was shrouded with suspicion of a coup d’état. Faced with a dilemma, some military and political officials felt perplexed and uncertain about which stance to adopt. Mr. Zhang quickly took a stand at this critical moment and helped Mr. Xi stabilize the situation.
The day after the Ming Dynasty article, Mr. Zhang spoke at a meeting on the ideological and political education of the CCP’s military, in which he issued a stern warning to those in the military who were “eager to take action,” saying that they must “get rid of ideological deviations, abandon outdated concepts and paths” and “conform” to Xi Jinping’s thought and requirements.
