Xi Promotes Two Generals to Restaff PLA's Depleted CMC
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- Zhang Shuguang was promoted to general and named secretary of the CMC Discipline Inspection Commission on July 3, continuing Xi's priority on ideological control over the military's graft-busting apparatus.
- Wang Gang was elevated to general and appointed Air Force commander, becoming one of only six serving generals in a 2-million-strong PLA.
- Before the July 3 ceremony, the PLA had just four serving generals after purges peaked in 2025, leaving the Central Military Commission with only one member besides Xi himself.
- Zhang Shuguang's appointment chips away at predecessor Zhang Shengmin's powerbase, echoing Xi's 2018 sidelining of graft-busting partner Wang Qishan once he had accumulated too much clout.
- Air Force officers now hold three of the PLA's six generalships, making it the least purge-affected service and Xi's most trusted branch.
- More promotions are expected through the 2027 Party Congress, when a new Central Military Commission will be unveiled, as Xi seeks to balance 'red' political officers with 'expert' professional commanders.
Why it matters: A 2-million-person military cannot function under effectively two senior decision-makers, so Xi is under pressure to rebuild the CMC before 2027 while also ensuring anti-corruption machinery answers to him personally rather than to his own former enforcer Zhang Shengmin.
