Personnel purges in the PLA: Xi Jinping consolidates personal control over a potential Indo-Pacific war

On January 24, 2026, China’s Ministry of National Defense announced the launch of an investigation into Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and one of the country’s most powerful generals.

Simultaneously, proceedings were initiated against Liu Zhenli, a member of the Central Military Commission and Chief of its Joint Staff Department. In both cases, Beijing officially cited “violations of Party discipline” as the grounds for investigation.

The conflict between the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the CCP Central Committee — personally involving Xi Jinping — unfolded throughout 2025, as Zhang Youxia’s public rhetoric increasingly diverged from Xi’s line.