Xi's Ruthless Purge of His Oldest Military Ally

Even 40-year friendships aren't sacred in Xi Jinping's China. On January 24, the Chinese leader dismissed General Zhang Youxia, the military's top uniformed officer, from the Central Military Commission in a move that stunned even seasoned China watchers.

This wasn't just another military purge. Zhang's father and Xi's father fought side by side during China's brutal civil war in the 1940s. The two families maintained close ties for decades, and as recently as 2022, Xi not only kept Zhang past the unofficial retirement age of 68 but actually promoted him to the military's top position.

In the paranoid world of Chinese elite politics, such deep personal connections are invaluable currency. Zhang's sudden fall suggests Xi has entered a new phase of his rule—one where even the most trusted allies are expendable.

The Timing Question

Why now? At 75, Zhang was already well past retirement age. Xi could have easily waited until next year's Party Congress to let him fade away quietly. Instead, he chose public humiliation.

The official explanation cited "political and corruption problems" that threatened party control over the military. But corruption is endemic in the People's Liberation Army, making this rationale suspect. Zhang had previously led the Equipment Development Department—a notorious hotbed of graft—yet survived while his predecessors fell.

The timing echoes Xi's 2022 Party Congress spectacle, when he had former leader Hu Jintao forcibly escorted out while cameras rolled. Both moves seemed gratuitous at the time, but they served a deeper purpose: demonstrating that Xi's power knows no bounds.

The Great Military Purge

Zhang's dismissal caps off more than a decade of military upheaval. Of the seven members who sat on the Central Military Commission at the start of Xi's third term in 2023, only Xi himself and one other officer—the corruption investigator—remain standing.

This wholesale clearance gives Xi unprecedented control over military appointments. He can now reshape not just who serves in the top ranks, but how the military itself is structured. Some analysts suggest he might install more civilians on the traditionally military-dominated commission, further cementing party control.

The purge reflects Xi's dual obsession: ensuring the military will suppress internal dissent if needed, and building forces capable of fighting—and potentially defeating—the U.S. military in a conflict over Taiwan.

Lessons from the Arab Spring

Xi's military paranoia has deep roots. Just months after joining the Central Military Commission in 2010, he watched the Arab Spring unfold. Authoritarian regimes collapsed when their security forces prioritized self-interest over regime survival.

That lesson shaped Xi's approach to military reform. He's not just fighting corruption—he's breaking the military's capacity to act independently. Every purge sends the same message: personal loyalty to Xi trumps institutional loyalty to the party or state.

The Dictator's Dilemma

Yet Xi's quest for absolute control creates its own risks. When even 40-year family friends can be discarded overnight, what incentive does anyone have to serve loyally? The very ruthlessness that consolidates Xi's power in the short term may undermine it over time.

Historically, dictators who purge too broadly often find themselves isolated and vulnerable. Stalin's military purges in the 1930s left the Soviet Union unprepared for World War II. Saddam Hussein's paranoid leadership style contributed to Iraq's military weakness.