China Appoints New Second-Highest-Ranking General

Published 23 hours ago

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Above: China's President Xi Jinping (3rd R) during a wreath laying ceremony in Beijing on Sept. 30, 2025. Image copyright: GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-China narrative

This promotion highlights China’s commitment to strong, disciplined military leadership. A trusted Xi Jinping loyalist with a proven anti-corruption record, Zhang is poised to restore integrity and efficiency, addressing past lapses under predecessors marked by cronyism and mismanagement. His elevation consolidates experienced leadership at the top of the PLA, ensuring continuity, stability and effective governance as China advances its national defense modernization goals.

XINHUA

Anti-China narrative

Xi Jinping is scrambling to tighten control over a fracturing PLA as corruption and cronyism erupt at the top. The expulsion of nine senior generals last week exposes deep factionalism, forcing Xi to elevate Zhang Shengmin, the military’s anti-corruption enforcer, to restore discipline. Yet with three CMC seats still vacant — even the PLA's own Defense Minister excluded — and trusted allies purged, the move underscores Xi’s insecurity and the systemic instability undermining his command.

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