"Mr. Xi succeeded Hu Jintao as Secretary General in November 2012 and immediately proceeded to expel Politburo member Bo Xilai from the CCP and Zhou Yongkang in 2014, responsible for China's security services and one of nine-members of the powerful Standing Committee of the Politburo. This was the beginning of Mr. Xi's anti-corruption campaign - and the removal of political rivals."
"But what got the public's attention was the removal of defense ministers Wei Feng he and Li Shangfu in October 2023 and June 2024. Then in 2025 the removal of General He Wei Dong, Vice Chairman of the nine-member Central Military Commission (CMC), for "serious violations of Party discipline" and Admiral Miao Hua, Director of the CMC's Political Work Department."
"During the 1970s and 80s, both General He Weidong and Admiral Miao Hua were assigned to the 31 Group Army in Fujian Province, responsible for any potential military operations against Taiwan. And now, in January 2026, Mr. Xi continued with his purge of the military, with the removal of General Zhang Youxia, senior Vice Chairman of the CMC and China's most senior general and General Liu Zhenli, Chief of CMC's Joint Staff Department responsible f"
Xi Jinping assumed CCP leadership in November 2012 and secured an unprecedented third term in October 2022. He initiated an anti-corruption campaign that expelled high-level figures such as Bo Xilai and Zhou Yongkang and removed political rivals. The campaign persisted with investigations of over 115 senior officials in 2025 and more than 60 reported punishments. High-profile military dismissals included defense ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, General He Weidong, Admiral Miao Hua, and eight additional senior officers in October 2025. In January 2026 Xi continued the military purge with removals of Generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli.
Read at The Cipher Brief
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