Xi Promotes 2 Generals as Military Commission Empties
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Xi Jinping personally presented promotion orders to Zhang Shuguang and air force commander Wang Gang at a Friday ceremony, elevating both to general rank.
- Zhang Shuguang was simultaneously named head of the Central Military Commission's corruption investigation division, placing him in a role overseeing the same probe that emptied the commission's ranks.
- The Central Military Commission has been reduced from seven members to just two active ones — Xi and Vice Chair Zhang Shengmin — after corruption investigations removed two former vice chairs, including the military's top general.
- The shake-up is believed to be aimed at ensuring the military's loyalty to the Communist Party and Xi, who chairs the commission and also serves as head of the military.
- A new seven-member commission is expected to be announced in the fall of next year when the current body's five-year term expires, framing these promotions as a precursor to that reorganization.
Why it matters: With five of seven Central Military Commission seats vacant and a new commission due by fall 2025, Xi is handpicking generals he personally promotes — the same officers who will likely staff the next commission and inherit oversight of the corruption probe itself.
