Xi Purges Top General Zhang Youxia, Five CMC Seats Vacant — SkimNews
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- The Politburo expelled Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from the Communist Party and military, removing Xi's closest military ally who had served as his deputy on the Central Military Commission (CMC).
- Five of seven seats on the CMC's ruling committee remain vacant, filled by second-line officers with no combat experience to replace Zhang — the last PLA senior officer who fought in a real war (the 1979 border conflict with Vietnam).
- Xi Jinping is widely expected to cement a fourth five-year term at the 2027 party congress, and analysts cited in the report say this prospect is driving an intensified need for internal security.
- The PLA Daily editorial on Sept 23 said Zhang and Liu 'seriously contributed to political and corruption problems' and 'caused enormous damage' to the military's political development and combat effectiveness.
- China maintains its current defense posture with continued weapons tests and increasingly complex exercises, but uncertainty persists over the impact on a full-scale Taiwan contingency.
- Defence Minister Dong Jun remains in place but is neither on the Politburo nor the CMC, with diplomats warning the CMC vacancy will continue to hamper China–foreign military engagement — a factor they call critical as regional tension festers.
Why it matters: The CMC purge eliminates the last PLA senior officer with real combat experience (Zhang, 1979 border war) at a moment when Beijing is intensifying military pressure around Taiwan. With five of seven top CMC seats empty ahead of Xi's 2027 fourth term, the PLA's longest-serving wartime commander is gone while foreign militaries lose their chief counterparts.
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