Xi Jinping warned Chinese military officers against disloyalty at a recent legislative meeting as his purge of the armed forces deepened, with dozens of top officers dismissed and the leadership he spent a decade reshaping now under strain. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Xi told the meeting the military must never have anyone who harbours a divided heart toward the party, according to the report. [1, 2, 3, 4] The article said Xi had lost faith in the military leadership he had spent 10 years remoulding. [1, 2, 3, 4] Dr Chien-wen Kou said the words “divided heart” carried heavy meaning, while Dr Daniel Mattingly said: “This is Xi Jinping’s military.” [1]
The cleanup has reached deep into the officer corps. The report described it as a sweeping campaign against the military elite and said it had led to the dismissal of dozens of top officers. [1, 2, 3, 4] State television footage from a year earlier reportedly showed around 40 generals in the room, but at the recent meeting only a handful were seen. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The report said Zhang Youxia, China’s top uniformed commander, fell from power in early 2026 after a break with Xi Jinping. [1, 2, 3] Last week, a military court sentenced two former defence ministers to death, suspended for 2 years, for bribery. [1, 2, 3] The article said the cases formed part of the broader purge that has shaken the upper ranks of the military. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The report warned that China’s war readiness could be disrupted for years by the cleanup campaign. [1, 2, 3] No formal end point for the purge was given in the facts, and the latest concrete development is the sentencing of the two former defence ministers last week. [1, 2, 3]
