China's PLA and Its Perpetual Fear of Xi Jinping

Whether it is a sincere effort to weed out corruption and inefficiency or just insecurity it is hard to find out but purging in the Chinese military with President Xi Jinping at the helm has become a routine feature. In these exercises seniority of ranks carries little meaning and since assuming power in 2012, President Xi has fundamentally reshaped the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) through a relentless series of purges. 

From the early "tiger hunts" to the sweeping expulsions of 2025 and 2026, the message from the Central Military Commission (CMC) has remained consistent, which is, no rank is too high and no loyalist is safe from the reaching hand of "discipline and law."

As the head of the all-powerful CMC since November 2012, President Xi's control on the Chinese military in one sigle word is absolute.

According to reports on January 24, 2026, the Chinese Ministry of National Defence announced investigations into Gen Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the CMC and Gen Liu Zhenli, Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Department. Both are suspected of "serious violations of discipline and law," signalling that even the most senior leaders who survived previous culls are now under scrutiny.

This follows a massive upheaval in late 2025. 

On October 17, 2025, the BBC reported the expulsion of nine top generals, including He Weidong, who served as the second-highest-ranking official in the military and a member of the Politburo. This was a historic move, as He was the first sitting Politburo member to be purged in decades.

According to the Institute for the Study of War these nine generals represented every service of the PLA except the Air Force, effectively dismantling the "Fujian Clique" and other internal power networks.

The Fujian Clique (or Fujian Faction) refers to a powerful network of Chinese political and military leaders who are closely allied with President Xi. This group is composed primarily of officials who worked with President Xi during his 17-year tenure in Fujian Province from 1985 to 2002.

The scale of the 2025 crackdown was staggering. 

According to a Vision Times report on January 20, 2026, nearly one million officials were disciplined in 2025 alone. While state media presents these figures as evidence of a successful "anti-graft drive," in reality. there have always been speculations about their actual motive.

The fact that purges continue after 14 years of "self-revolution" suggests that corruption remains embedded in the CCP system, or alternatively, that the purge has become a permanent feature of Xi’s governance to keep subordinates in a state of perpetual vigilance.

On June 27, 2025, The Guardian confirmed the dismissal of Miao Hua, a senior admiral and director of the Political Work Department. As the official responsible for the army's ideological "purity," Miao's downfall was particularly symbolic. His removal, alongside former defence ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, indicated a deep-seated distrust in the military’s procurement processes and its strategic leadership.

The Rocket Force, which manages China’s nuclear arsenal, has been a primary target of these "surgical" removals. Investigations into substandard equipment and procurement fraud led to the removal of consecutive commanders, including Wang Houbin and Li Yuchao, raising global concerns about the actual combat readiness of China’s most sensitive military branch.

The pattern of regular purging was established early in President Xi's tenure. 

In June 2014, Gen Xu Caihou, a former CMC vice chairman, was accused of trading promotions for bribes. By November 28, 2017, the BBC reported that another high-ranking official, Zhang Yang, took his own life while under investigation for corruption.

These early cases set the precedent that the "Chairman Responsibility System" would be enforced with absolute severity, placing all military power squarely under Xi's personal command .

The constant state of flux within the PLA's upper echelons serves a dual purpose. 

According to a Soufan Center report on May 23, 2025, it ensures that "the party commands the gun," but it also risks "decision paralysis" among mid-level officers who fear that any misstep could be interpreted as disloyalty. 

While the PLA continues its technological modernisation, the "human element" remains its most fragile link. The persistent purges suggest that Xi views political contamination as a greater threat than operational disruption.

As President Xi prepares for the 100th anniversary of the PLA in 2027, his attention remain fixed on a singular goal to build a military that is not only "world-class" in capability but also "absolutely loyal" in character.

Published on: Saturday, January 24, 2026, 03:51 PM IST