China’s purges of top military commanders spur questions about war-waging ability

Chinese President Xi Jinping during a military parade in Beijing in September of last year. | REUTERS

Sep 23, 2026

HONG KONG/BEIJING – Purges of military leaders may have dented China’s war-fighting readiness, but are likely to have strengthened President Xi Jinping’s grip on an institution that is a key source of power for the ruling Communist Party, diplomats and analysts say.

Regional military attaches and security analysts are watching the crackdown closely as China steps up efforts to modernize its military and boosts deployments around Taiwan, as well as hotly disputed parts of the South and East China Seas.

News this week of the ruling Politburo’s expulsion of two top military leaders, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, from the Communist Party and the military, signaled the latest move in the long-running crackdown.

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