Xi’s military purges make U.S. deterrence more urgent

President Xi Jinping’s sweeping purge of China’s military has concentrated power in his hands and raises the risk of aggression toward Taiwan, meaning the U.S. must be ready. | REUTERS

By Raja Krishnamoorthi
The Diplomat

Oct 28, 2026

China’s top military command has been almost emptied out. Of the seven members chosen for the Central Military Commission in 2022, only Xi Jinping and one general remain active. Days before Xi met U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington last month, Beijing formally expelled Gen. Zhang Youxia, Xi’s longtime ally and former top military deputy, and Gen. Liu Zhenli, the former chief of the Joint Staff Department.

We do not know why Xi is doing this or what he intends to do next. But the purge has further strengthened his hand over the military. Reuters reported that analysts see Xi’s grip on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as strengthened by the removal of senior commanders and their proteges even as the upheaval weakens near-term readiness. If Xi chooses to invade Taiwan, impose a blockade or undertake another act of military aggression in the region, more of that decision now rests with him. We do not know whether he will. That freer hand adds risk.

The scale of the purge is extraordinary. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) found that 41 of the 47 officers who held three-star rank in 2022 or were promoted afterward had been purged or potentially purged. Of the 35 three-star generals and admirals Xi promoted beginning in 2020, 32 had been investigated and 29 had been purged or potentially purged. Across the PLA, roughly 52% of senior leadership positions have been affected.

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