Army Commander Li Qiaoming Arrested? Zhang Youxia Sounds the Call to Rally Against Xi Jinping

Illustration: Is Zhang Youxia the "bowman" predicted in the Tui Bei Tu prophecy to launch a coup? (Illustration by People’s Report)

[People News] The upper ranks of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) military have recently been in turmoil, with power struggles intensifying. According to multiple overseas X-platform (formerly Twitter) bloggers, General Li Qiaoming, Commander of the PLA Army, has been arrested. Whether this is a well-informed prediction or mere rumors remains uncertain. Previously, the incident involving Miao Hua, the Director of the CCP Central Military Commission's Political Department, was first reported overseas before being confirmed domestically. However, the alleged suicide of Lin Xiangyang, Commander of the Eastern Theater Command, has yet to be officially verified.

According to a self-media personality known as "Old Lamp," a source from the "red second generation" revealed that chaos reigns at the top of the CCP. The source claims the relationship between Xi Jinping and Zhang Youxia has become irreconcilable. Recently, the PLA Daily published a series of anti-Xi articles, allegedly orchestrated by Zhang Youxia. These articles are seen as part of a prelude to escalating political warfare, preparing public opinion within the military for potential armed conflict. The source suggested these efforts aim to sound the alarm across the military and lay the groundwork for a confrontation.

Reportedly, Xi Jinping sought out Li Xi, head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), to discuss placing Li Qiaoming under investigation. Upon learning of this, Zhang Youxia allegedly deployed security personnel to expel CCDI agents from the Central Military Commission headquarters. Li Qiaoming, considered Zhang Youxia’s staunchest ally, is someone Zhang is determined to protect. The red second generation further disclosed that Zhang Youxia is currently rallying party elders and high-ranking officials discontented with Xi Jinping, aiming to convene a party-wide “democratic life meeting” by the end of December to address the Xi Jinping issue. Historically, Hu Yaobang was similarly ousted during such a meeting in December 1986.

While these claims by the red second generation remain unverified, the escalating power struggle between Zhang Youxia and Xi Jinping is undeniable. Recently, Zhang has launched both public and covert attacks against Xi, signaling that military power is firmly under his control and hinting at potential further actions within the Party.

The PLA Daily has recently published a series of four articles under the theme “Consciously Be an Example of Adhering to Democratic Centralism,” emphasizing collective leadership and a division-of-responsibility system among military commanders. These articles appear to openly challenge Xi Jinping’s “Chairman Responsibility System” for the Central Military Commission. The articles were simultaneously published on the PLA's official website and the Ministry of National Defense website, indicating that Zhang Youxia has successfully united key military forces against Xi.

The third of the four articles, titled “Take the Lead in Promoting Inner-Party Democracy,” was published on December 11 and authored by personnel from the Central Military Commission’s Office for Reform and Organization. The article emphasized that while the Party Secretary is “the head of the group,” they must not act as “the sole authority.” It stated that within Party organizations, the Secretary and committee members are equals and that decisions must not be made unilaterally by any individual. This appears to directly target Xi Jinping. On October 6, it was reported that General Qin Shengxiang, a close ally of Xi and the former Director of the Office for Military Reform, had been taken away for investigation. Within just two months, Zhang Youxia managed to absorb the military reform office into his own faction, turning its focus to opposing Xi Jinping.

The attacks against Xi Jinping in PLA Daily are undoubtedly part of Zhang Youxia’s strategy and represent the “pen” portion of his campaign. At the same time, Zhang has escalated his efforts with displays of military power, signaling that he now controls the military. On December 9, the CCP mobilized nearly 90 naval and coast guard vessels around the Japanese islands, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea, covering the entire first island chain. About two-thirds of the vessels were naval ships, participating in large-scale military exercises.

On the same day, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported that over the preceding two days, the PLA had deployed seven aircraft and 14 naval ships in the airspace and waters around Taiwan. According to CNN, naval warships from the PLA’s Eastern, Northern, and Southern Theater Commands, as well as vessels from the China Coast Guard, entered waters near Taiwan and the Western Pacific. While many attributed the PLA’s maneuvers to Beijing’s anger over Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's transit visits to Hawaii and Guam, Taiwanese media personality Wu Zijia offered a different perspective. Wu noted that the scale of this military exercise exceeded the recent “Sharp Sword” A and B drills, yet the CCP remained unusually low-key. There were no video broadcasts on CCTV, no grand reports in major Party media, and even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remained evasive. Wu interpreted this as an unusual signal indicating that the exercises were orchestrated by Zhang Youxia, not Xi Jinping, to demonstrate his control over military operations and send a subtle but significant message.

This analysis aligns with the growing evidence of Zhang Youxia challenging Xi Jinping through both military demonstrations and strategic media campaigns, effectively rallying the military against Xi.

Signs of Xi Jinping’s eroding military authority and discord with Zhang Youxia can also be inferred from his recent inspection visits. On December 17, Xi visited Sanya, Hainan, accompanied by his close allies Cai Qi, He Lifeng, and Central Military Commission Vice Chairman He Weidong. In previous years, including 2021 and 2022, Zhang Youxia, as Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, always accompanied Xi on his inspections of Hainan’s military installations. These included the PLA’s aircraft carrier base in Sanya and the Yalong Bay Longpo submarine base. However, during this recent visit, state media did not report any inspections of military facilities by Xi.

On December 20, Xi Jinping met with the PLA Macau Garrison. Xinhua News reported that Xi emphasized familiar rhetoric such as “upholding the Party’s absolute leadership over the military” and implementing the Central Military Commission’s political work directives. However, PLA Daily did not feature any coverage of Xi’s visit to the garrison in its December 20 edition. Instead, the paper’s front page only highlighted Xi’s visit to Macau University of Science and Technology, the Hengqin Cooperation Zone, and a welcome banquet hosted by Macau’s government.

This discrepancy indicates a growing and publicized split between Xi Jinping and Zhang Youxia. From the downfall of Li Shangfu and Miao Hua, to the investigations into Dong Jun and Wang Houbin, to Lin Xiangyang’s rumored suicide, and now the reported investigation of Army Commander Li Qiaoming, Xi and Zhang seem locked in an inevitable showdown.

On December 18, the PLA Army reportedly held a major conference. According to rumors circulating within China, Army Commander Li Qiaoming, Political Department Director Zhao Lei, and Equipment Minister Zou Geyin were all removed from their posts and are now under investigation for their involvement in the Miao Hua case. However, the accuracy of these claims remains uncertain.

Li Qiaoming first came into public view in early 2016 as the Commander of the Northern Theater Army. In August 2017, he succeeded Song Puxuan to become Commander of the Northern Theater Command, making him the youngest theater commander at the time and the first born in the 1960s. During the rumored “Xi Down, Li Up” movement in 2022, Li Qiaoming was reported to have staged a military mutiny in Shenyang, allegedly aligning with Li Keqiang politically. He was later removed as Northern Theater Commander in September 2022 but reappeared on September 30, 2022, alongside Army Political Commissar Qin Shutong at an exhibition, which led to speculation that he had become the PLA Army Commander.

Qin Shutong, who was rumored to have fallen from grace in September 2024, was previously considered part of Xi’s faction due to his roles in the 31st Group Army in Fujian. His downfall, alongside Qin Shengxiang, has been interpreted as Zhang Youxia’s counteraction against Xi following the Third Plenum.

The political affiliations of Li Qiaoming remain debated. Some claim he belongs to Hu Jintao’s faction, others see him as Zhang Youxia’s ally, while some believe he aligns with Xi. Given his Army background and his role in the Northern Theater, it is plausible that Zhang Youxia supported his appointment as Army Commander after the alleged mutiny in 2022. If Li Qiaoming, Zhao Lei, and Zou Geyin are indeed under investigation, it could signify that Xi is using his “self-revolutionary” purges to counter Zhang Youxia.

From the internal sentiment of the CCP, the bureaucracy, and the military, it is clear that Xi Jinping is increasingly isolated and widely opposed. As the ancient saying goes, “Those who gain the Way have many allies; those who lose the Way have few.” By clinging to the Party and dancing with the devil, Xi may ultimately face a fate no better than that of Bo Xilai.

(First published by People News)