In the wake of the most recent purges, President Xi Jinping has elevated a loyalist to the position of China’s second highest-ranking general. Furthermore, he has appointed ten additional loyalists to prominent roles within the Communist Party, marking the most substantial shake-up in nearly eight years.
Xi has appointed Zhang Shengmin as the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), which is China’s foremost military organization, following the dismissal of He Weidong from this position last week, as reported by the state-run Xinhua news agency on Thursday.
For the first time since the era of Mao, the seven-member CMC has been reduced to just four members: Chairman Xi, First Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia, the newly promoted Second Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin, and an unnamed fourth member.
Through these appointments, Xi has further solidified his tight control over both political and military authority in China. It is noteworthy that Zhang was already a member of the CMC in a different capacity, indicating that Xi did not introduce any outsiders who could potentially weaken the concentration of power.
Zhang is a trusted ally of Xi — his remarkable portfolio attests to this.
Zhang’s impressive portfolio highlights the depth of Xi’s confidence in him.
In addition to his new role as Vice Chairman of the CMC, it is believed that Zhang will continue to hold his previous position as Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which is China’s leading anti-corruption agency.
The extraordinary concentration of power in Zhang — a general — within the civilian Communist Party emphasizes the exceptional trust that Xi places in him, as noted by analysts quoted by Reuters.
This perception is further supported by the fact that Zhang has taken over from He Weidong, who was a member of the 24-member Politburo, the second-highest decision-making body within the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Xi’s largest reshuffle in years further strengthens his power.
With eleven new appointments and promotions, Xi has executed the most significant reshuffle at the upper echelons of the CPC since 2017, when he similarly replaced eleven officials.
At the end of the four-day ‘fourth plenum’ conference, Xinhua reported that 168 full members and 147 alternate members participated in the event — a decrease from the 205 full members and 171 alternates appointed in 2022. This decline in numbers indicates that numerous members have either been dismissed or forced out of public life by Xi.
Last week, Xi removed nine senior military officials — including He, the Vice Chairman of the CMC.
His dismissal was particularly significant not only because of his high rank but also as it represented the first instance since Mao of a sitting member of the CMC being terminated. Furthermore, he had long been viewed as a trusted confidant of Xi, with both having worked together in Fujian province during the 1990s.
With this extensive overhaul, Xi now possesses more authority than at any previous time during his 13-year tenure. He has consistently been seen as China’s most powerful leader in decades, having eliminated term limits and established stringent control over all branches of the Communist Party and the state.
“By purging these officers prior to the plenum and doing so all at once, Xi is delivering a clear warning to the military high command and asserting his supremacy,” stated Jon Czin, a specialist on the Chinese military at the Brookings Institution, in an interview with Reuters.
