After record purge, Xi promotes loyalist as China’s number-2 general

Following the latest round of purges, President Xi Jinping has promoted a loyalist to become China’s second highest-ranking general. In addition, he has appointed 10 other loyalists to top positions within the Communist Party — making it the largest shake-up in nearly eight years.

Xi has promoted Zhang Shengmin to the position of Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), China’s top military body, after sacking He Weidong from the role last week , state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.

For the first time since Mao’s era, the seven-member CMC has been reduced to just four members — Chairman Xi, First Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia, newly promoted Second Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin, and an unnamed fourth member.

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With these appointments, Xi has further tightened his vice-like grip on political and military power in China. Notably, Zhang was already serving on the CMC in another capacity, meaning Xi did not bring in any outsider who might have diluted the concentration of power.

Zhang is Xi’s man — his extraordinary portfolio proves it

Zhang’s extraordinary portfolio underscores the extent of Xi’s trust in him.

In addition to his new role as Vice Chairman of the CMC, Zhang is believed to retain his previous position as Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection — China’s top anti-corruption body.

The remarkable concentration of power in Zhang —a general— within the civilian Communist Party highlights the exceptional level of trust Xi places in him, Reuters quoted analysts as saying.

This belief is further reinforced by the fact that Zhang has replaced He Weidong, who was a member of the 24-member Politburo, the second-highest decision-making body in the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Xi’s largest shake-p in years further consolidates power

With 11 new appointments and promotions, Xi has carried out the most significant reshuffle at the top of the CPC since 2017 when he had similarly replaced 11 officials.

At the conclusion of the four-day ‘fourth plenum’ conference , Xinhua reported that 168 full members and 147 alternate members attended the conference — down from the 205 full members and 171 alternates appointed in 2022. The reduced numbers suggest that many members have either been sacked or pushed out of public life by Xi.

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Last week, Xi dismissed nine top military officials — including He, the Vice Chairman of the CMC.

He’s removal was particularly notable not only due to his stature but also because it marked the first time since Mao that a sitting member of the CMC had been fired. Moreover, he had long been considered a trusted aide of Xi, with the two having served together in Fujian province during the 1990s.

With this sweeping shake-up, Xi now wields more power than at any other point in his 13-year rule. He has long been regarded as China’s most powerful leader in decades, having removed term limits and established firm control over all organs of the Communist Party and state.

“By purging these officers before the plenum altogether and all at once, Xi is sending a clear shot across the bow to the military high command and asserting his dominance,” Jon Czin, an expert on the Chinese military at the Brookings Institution, told Reuters.