China Military Purge: Top Generals Fall as Internal Strife Escalates – 2026 Update

Beijing’s annual military and political meeting, held on February 5, 2026, saw the attendance of seven lieutenant generals from the People’s Liberation Army, but notably, no generals. This follows a pattern of personnel changes at these meetings, with the generals who attended in 2024 and 2025—Miao Hua and He Hongjun—both now facing legal issues. The event underscores a period of escalating internal tensions and a series of high-profile removals and unexplained absences within the Chinese military.

Seven Lieutenant Generals Attend 2026 Beijing Military-Political Meeting, No Generals Present

According to the Beijing Daily, the 2026 meeting included remarks from Yin Li, a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo and Beijing Party Secretary, and Pei Jinjia, Minister of Veterans Affairs. The report mentioned the presence of “leaders from the Commission’s organs and units stationed in Beijing,” but did not specify individual attendees.

Footage from China Central Television’s defense and military channel showed seven officers wearing lieutenant general insignia and thirteen wearing major general insignia. No generals were present.

The seven lieutenant generals in attendance were Chen Demin, Liang Ping, Zheng Yanpo, Ji Duo, Dong Wenhui, Hu Yuhai, and Ding Xingnong.

Observers believe Chen Demin currently serves as Deputy Director of the Military Commission’s Political Work Department; Liang Ping as Deputy Political Commissar of the Central Theater Command; Ji Duo as Deputy Political Commissar of the Air Force; Hu Yuhai as Deputy Political Commissar and Director of the Political Work Department of the Navy; and Ding Xingnong as Deputy Political Commissar of the Rocket Force. These five lieutenant generals hold deputy political positions within the Military Commission and various theater commands.

China issues expert Li Linyi noted that Zheng Yanpo’s attendance is noteworthy. Appointed Deputy Political Commissar and Political Commissar of the Western Theater Command Army in March 2024, his presence at the Beijing meeting suggests a possible reassignment as Deputy Political Commissar of the Army, representing the Beijing-based military presence.

Li Linyi also suggested Dong Wenhui may have attended in his capacity as Deputy Political Commissar of the People’s Armed Police Force.

He Hongjun General and Four Lieutenant Generals Attended 2025 Beijing Military-Political Meeting

The 2026 meeting saw a significant shift in personnel compared to the 2025 meeting, with no generals in attendance.

The 2025 meeting, held on January 22, included He Hongjun, then a general and Deputy Director of the Military Commission’s Political Work Department, seated next to Yin Li. However, his name was absent from official reports by Beijing media and the Chinese military newspaper.

He Hongjun was officially removed from his positions on October 17, 2025, expelled from the Party and the military.

Four lieutenant generals also attended the 2025 meeting: Zhu Guobiao, then Deputy Political Commissar of the People’s Armed Police Force; Ji Duo, Deputy Political Commissar of the Air Force; Ding Xingnong, Deputy Political Commissar of the Rocket Force; and Zhou Junqiang, Director of the Political Work Department of the Army.

Both Ji Duo and Ding Xingnong attended both the 2025 and 2026 meetings. However, Zhu Guobiao and Zhou Junqiang were absent from the 2026 meeting. Zhu Guobiao, born in February 1963, is currently 63 years old; Zhou Junqiang’s age is unknown, and their current whereabouts are unclear.

Miao Hua General and Seven Lieutenant Generals Attended 2024 Beijing Military-Political Meeting

The 2024 meeting, held on February 2, included Miao Hua, then a general and Director of the Military Commission’s Political Work Department, seated alongside Yin Li. Seven lieutenant generals and thirteen major generals were also in attendance.

The seven lieutenant generals included Leng Xiaojie, then Deputy Political Commissar and Political Commissar of the Central Theater Command; Liu Bencheng, then Director of the Navy’s Political Work Department; Zhang Fengzhong, then Director of the Rocket Force’s Political Work Department; Gao Wei, then Deputy Political Commissar of the Army; Ji Duo, then Deputy Political Commissar of the Air Force; Yang Xiaoxiang, then Deputy Political Commissar and Director of the Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Strategic Support Force; and Zhu Wenxiang, then Deputy Commander of the People’s Armed Police Force.

With the exception of Ji Duo, who attended the 2024, 2025, and 2026 meetings, the other six lieutenant generals were absent from the 2025 and 2026 meetings.

Zhang Fengzhong, then Director of the Rocket Force’s Political Work Department, was revealed to have been removed from his position in the communique of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee on October 23, 2025.

Leng Xiaojie and Yang Xiaoxiang, both members of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, were absent from the Fifth Plenary Session of the Commission, held from January 12 to 14, 2026.

Lieutenant General Ding Xingnong Attended Military-Political Meetings for Two Consecutive Years, But Failed to Be Promoted to Central Committee Member

Lieutenant General Ding Xingnong, Deputy Political Commissar of the Rocket Force, attended both the 2025 and 2026 Beijing military-political meetings.

Ding Xingnong ranked second among the alternate members of the 20th Central Committee. He was passed over for promotion to full Central Committee member at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee in July 2024 and again at the Fourth Plenary Session in 2025. He also did not attend either of these plenary sessions.

Ding Xingnong, born in 1963 in Jianhu, Jiangsu Province, has held various positions including Deputy Director of the Political Department of the General Equipment Department and Political Commissar of the General Equipment Research Institute. He served as Political Commissar of the China Satellite Maritime Tracking and Control Department in 2008 and Director of the Political Department of the General Equipment Department in 2012. He later served as Political Commissar of the Network Systems Department of the Strategic Support Force and Director of the Political Work Department of the Strategic Support Force. In April 2024, he was transferred to the position of Deputy Political Commissar of the Rocket Force. He was promoted to lieutenant general in July 2010 and to major general in 2019.

Internal Strife Within the Chinese Military Continues to Escalate, With a Growing Number of Senior Generals Being Removed and “Missing”

Following Xi Jinping’s unprecedented third term in October 2022, investigations into the Rocket Force and the General Equipment Department were launched in July 2023. Within a year, two former members of the Military Commission and Ministers of National Defense, Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, were removed, and three commanders of the Rocket Force were investigated. The focus of the purge reportedly targeted Zhang Youxia, Li Shangfu’s former superior and a long-time head of military equipment.

From the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee in July 2024 to the Fourth Plenary Session in October 2025, rumors of Xi Jinping’s illness and a potential coup began to circulate. Simultaneously, several of Xi Jinping’s loyalists, including Vice Chairman of the Military Commission He Weidong, Military Commission member Miao Hua, and Deputy Director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission He Hongjun, were removed.

Three months after the Fourth Plenary Session, the situation changed again. Vice Chairman of the Military Commission Zhang Youxia and Military Commission member Liu Zhenli were absent from the opening session of a seminar for provincial and ministerial-level officials on January 20, 2026, and were subsequently officially removed on January 24.

Since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, fifteen active generals have been publicly investigated, and twenty generals are currently “missing.”

Currently, only four generals remain in active service: Vice Chairman of the Military Commission Zhang Shengmin, Minister of National Defense Dong Jun, Commander of the Eastern Theater Command Yang Zhi, and Commander of the Central Theater Command Han Sheng. The Central Military Commission has only one general, requiring the filling of five positions (one Vice Chairman and four members), leaving dozens of military positions vacant.

Miao Hua, who attended the 2024 Beijing military-political meeting, and He Hongjun, who attended the 2025 meeting, have both been removed. The 2026 meeting notably lacked the presence of any generals.

the list of lieutenant generals attending the capital’s military-political meetings changes almost every year. Several of the seven lieutenant generals who attended the 2024 meeting have since been investigated or shown signs of trouble. This reflects the spread of the military purge to the Military Commission and major theater commands, impacting military leaders at all levels and leading to frequent personnel changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the significance of no generals attending the 2026 Beijing military-political meeting?

The absence of generals at the 2026 meeting is significant because it deviates from previous years and coincides with a period of ongoing purges and investigations within the Chinese military. It suggests continued instability and a lack of senior leadership.

Which officials have been removed from their positions in the recent military crackdown?

Several high-ranking officials have been removed, including former Ministers of National Defense Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, former Military Commission members Miao Hua and Zhang Youxia, and former Deputy Director of the Military Commission’s Political Work Department He Hongjun.

What is the current state of leadership within the Chinese military?

The Chinese military is currently facing a “leadership vacuum” with only four generals remaining in active service and numerous key positions vacant. This situation is a result of the ongoing purge and investigations.