Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has once again shaken the top ranks of China’s powerful military, removing three more senior generals as part of his long and aggressive effort to enforce loyalty and eliminate potential threats. What Beijing describes as an anti-corruption campaign has now turned into one of the most sweeping political cleansing operations in the history of the People’s Liberation Army, and it reveals how deeply Xi worries about power, unity, and control inside his own armed forces.

The Three New Targets of Xi’s Purge

The latest wave of expulsions was confirmed when China’s National People’s Congress removed three senior military leaders from its membership.

Gen. Zhang Hongbin, political commissar of the People’s Armed Police, was the most high-profile removal. Rumors about his downfall had spread for months as he was noticeably missing from major political events, including October’s Fourth Plenum. Zhang had previously been the political commissar of the Eastern Theater Command, which oversees critical regions such as the East China Sea and Taiwan Strait. His removal signals that even those with close access to China’s most sensitive security zones are not safe.

Adm. Wang Renhua was also expelled. He led the Central Military Commission’s Political and Legal Affairs Commission, meaning he controlled the military’s courts, prosecution system, and prisons. He had earlier served as an anti-corruption official inside the PLA Navy’s East Sea Fleet, making his own fall especially symbolic.

The third official removed was Lt. Gen. Wang Peng, who headed the Central Military Commission’s Training and Administration Department. He not only oversaw PLA training but helped shape how future Chinese military leadership would think and operate.

All three had risen under Xi. All three now stand as examples of what happens when power becomes too concentrated and trust becomes scarce.

Official Justification: Violations of Discipline and Law

Beijing again used familiar language to explain the removals. Officials cited “serious violations of discipline and law,” a phrase that now signals both corruption charges and political disloyalty. China’s military newspaper did not just talk about financial wrongdoing. It accused purged officials of a “total collapse of beliefs” and warned that their behavior “dealt a serious blow” to unity and to the Communist Party’s authority.

Analysts say that kind of rhetoric matters. They argue that Xi is pushing much harder on ideological loyalty than ever before. Researchers note that this is about enforcing obedience as much as cleaning up corruption. As one report explained, the government is framing these removals in terms of “loyalty and unity,” suggesting Xi wants political conformity and absolute control over anyone who holds military power.

A Pattern That Shows No Signs of Slowing

These are not isolated removals. Xi has already purged dozens of senior officers across the PLA. In just the past three years, more than 20 senior leaders have vanished from public view, been forced out, or been investigated.

The most shocking case was He Weidong, China’s second-highest ranking general and a member of the Politburo. He was the first serving Politburo member to be expelled from the military since the 1960s. Analysts said his removal alone proved that no rank is too high to escape Xi’s purge.

Xi also gutted the Rocket Force twice in a row, removing consecutive commanders responsible for China’s nuclear and ballistic missile program. A European research group warned that this “points to deep structural problems in China’s nuclear and missile forces” and said the situation raises “regional and global security implications.” These are not small operations. These are the heart of China’s strategic power.

Even China’s ruling elite is shrinking fast. At least two dozen Central Committee members have disappeared or been removed. Participation at the most recent major party plenum dropped by over 15 percent. One analyst noted it was the lowest attendance in over forty years, showing how wide and disruptive Xi’s purge has become.

Beijing calls this an anti-corruption effort. Many experts say this is much bigger. They believe Xi is targeting internal enemies, competing power blocs, and the possibility that powerful generals could one day move against him.

As researchers explain, Xi’s campaign “helps him eliminate perceived political rivals.” Military leaders who built their power before Xi still have influence, connections, and loyalty networks. These are exactly the types of men who could threaten a supreme leader who demands absolute control.

Xi also rewards those who enforce his purges. Gen. Zhang Shengmin’s promotion is one example. Analysts said he was promoted not because he was a proven battlefield leader, but because “he earned Xi’s confidence by wholeheartedly carrying out the PLA purges.” That comment captures the mindset driving this campaign. Loyalty to Xi is worth more than strategic expertise, internal respect, or independent thought.

The Cost to China’s Military Strength

Constant political purges do not come without damage. A Stockholm research study found that Xi’s anti-corruption drive has slowed major weapons procurement, cutting revenue for top Chinese defense suppliers. The Pentagon warned that the expanding removals “very likely risk short term disruptions in the operational effectiveness of the PLA.”

Washington also reported that the wave of removals has caused “uncertainty over organizational priorities and lack of continuity.” There are even reports that some new PLA recruits are beginning to question whether the army truly serves China, or simply serves Xi Jinping personally.

This is a dangerous doubt inside what is supposed to be a unified and disciplined fighting force.

Xi Jinping is chasing loyalty with an intensity rarely seen in modern political history. He is eliminating rivals, crushing independent power centers, and reshaping the armed forces into something he alone can command. The message is clear. No general is safe. No rank guarantees protection. No past loyalty protects you from today’s suspicion.

Yet the scale of the purge reveals something else. Xi is not acting from confidence. He is acting from fear. He faces internal struggles, resentment, and silent resistance from those who see what he is doing. China’s military may be large and powerful, but it is also unsettled, deeply shaken, and increasingly governed by political terror.

As more leaders fall, one truth becomes clear. Xi is tightening his grip on the military, but the fact that he must work so hard to hold power shows just how fragile his control truly is.

ACZ Editor: Others have made this comment as well, that China may be more fragile than we see from the outside. The consequence they say is that should Xi fall, the thirteen military regions could break out in civil war and break China apart (apparently the generals in charge of these areas hate each other). I would love a front row seat in that one, but unfortunately, many of the regions control nuclear weapons.