Xi Jinping's Continuing–And Troubled–Effort to Tighten Control Over China's Military On Its 99th Anniversary - Vision Times
An Army Day Politburo readout again and demanded the gun barrels "forever obey the Party's command," which is being read by analysts as an admission that the top layers of power don’t yet fully control the military.
China’s Communist Party marked the 99th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on August 1 amid continuing efforts by President Xi Jinping to strengthen political control over the military. On July 30, Xi chaired a Politburo study session on national defense. The following day, Xinhua published a readout in which Xi called for stronger combat readiness and political loyalty within the armed forces. He said the military must “uphold and strengthen the Party’s absolute leadership over the military” and “ensure the gun barrels forever obey the Party’s command. ”The same themes appeared in an Army Day article published by the military’s official newspaper and in a speech by Defense Minister Dong Jun at a July 31 reception. The statements emphasized Xi’s authority, political loyalty and military modernization, while Dong said the PLA would “resolutely smash any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist scheming and external military interference. ”The emphasis on Party control comes after years of military personnel changes and anti-corruption investigations under Xi, who has led China since 2012. The latest developments have raised particular questions about the fate of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, two senior military commanders whose removal was announced on January 24. The Party has not publicly explained their cases. The Fifth Plenum of the 20th Central Committee is scheduled to take place in Beijing in October. Its main agenda will include “unremittingly advancing comprehensive strict Party governance. ” Some outside observers expect the meeting could address the cases involving Zhang and Liu, although this has not been confirmed. READ MORE:‘A Digital Data Prison Is Being Built’: China’s New Exit-Entry Regulations Shock Overseas Chinese CommunitiesFang Xinghai Falls as China’s Financial Purge DeepensFormer CSRC Vice Chairman Under Probe as China’s Financial Purge DeepensChinese President Xi Jinping attends a meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People on Jan. 29, 2026 in Beijing, China. (Image: Vincent Thian-Pool via Getty Images)Deepening the ‘anti-corruption struggle’SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERFor the best of our weekly content！There is something wrong, please try again laterSuccessYou are now signed up for our newsletterSuccessCheck your email to complete sign upXi’s July 30 remarks also called for the military to “deepen the anti-corruption struggle” and “improve the supervision system for major projects. ” The comments came after years of investigations into military procurement. The scale of the current purge remains unclear. U. S. -based commentator Cai Shenkun wrote on X on August 1 that investigations following the January removal of Zhang and Liu had extended from corps-level commands to deputy-division officers. Cai said the continuing personnel changes had created uncertainty among senior officers and affected morale. Cai also claimed that most senior military commission officials and active-duty full generals had faced investigation, removal, demotion or sidelining since Xi took power. These figures and other claims about the extent of the purge have not been independently verified. A source identified by The Epoch Times as Tang Jiezhong, who claimed to have connections to the Chinese military, said the Party’s discipline commission and military disciplinary organs had completed their investigations of Zhang and Liu. The source said the investigations had contributed to uncertainty among senior officers. These claims have also not been independently confirmed. Investigations kept hiddenThe exact allegations against Zhang remain unknown. Self-media commentator “Zhengjing Lu Shezhang” claimed in June that Zhang was involved in corruption totaling 1. 7 billion yuan, or about $240 million. Other commentators have suggested the amount could be higher, but there is no publicly confirmed figure from Chinese authorities. The personnel changes have prompted broader debate among Chinese political commentators about the effects of Xi’s military policies. Du Wen, a former official serving in China’s Inner Mongolia region, argued on X on August 1 that Xi had relied on political loyalty and repeated purges rather than institutional reforms to strengthen military control. Zhang Youxia (center), vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Military Commission, and Li Yunze, former head of China’s National Financial Regulatory Administration, have emerged as key figures amid speculation over an expanding purge of senior Party and military officials. (Image: Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images)Political scientist Liu Junning similarly argued on Aug. 2 for greater institutional oversight, including an independent military judiciary, a transparent weapons budget, civilian supervision and legal constraints. In a second post, Cai asked why Xi has never once managed to settle the army. The purges have run without pause since he took power in 2012, and even after the 20th Congress put his own appointments in charge, the military leadership remains unstable. “The vice chairmen of the military commission have been purged to a man. Of the seven members of the commission, only Xi Jinping and his military enforcer Zhang Shengmin remain,” Cai wrote, referring to the commission’s discipline chief. “Of 41 active-duty full generals, 39 have been arrested, investigated, removed, demoted, or sidelined. Rectification at this intensity is without parallel in the Party’s military history,” Cai wrote.