CCP Holds Politburo Meeting, Further Confirming He Weidong’s Downfall

The "PLA Party Building Conference" of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was held in Beijing from July 20 to 21. He Weidong, Liu Zhenli, Miao Hua, and Zhang Sheng were seated on the podium. CMC Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia was absent. (Screenshot from CCTV video)

[People News] According to a report from the CCP’s state-run Xinhua News Agency, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo held a meeting on March 31 to review the Regulations on Ecological and Environmental Protection Inspections and the Comprehensive Report on the Fourth Round of Inspections by the 20th Central Committee. CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over the meeting. All major state media outlets, including Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, China Military Online, and CCTV, reported on the meeting solely in text form, without any live video footage or images. This further solidified the rumors that He Weidong, the second vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), has fallen from power.

The CCP routinely holds Politburo meetings at the end of each month. However, the March meeting drew significant outside attention, as rumors had been swirling that He Weidong had been arrested following the conclusion of the Two Sessions. The CCP’s official response had been notably low-key, and He had not made any public appearances to refute the claims. As a result, the Politburo meeting at the end of March was seen as a critical opportunity to confirm whether He had indeed encountered trouble.

During the Xinwen Lianbo (CCTV’s primetime news broadcast) at 7:00 PM on March 31, the lead story reported on Xi Jinping presiding over the Politburo meeting. The anchor merely read out Xinhua News Agency’s afternoon press release verbatim, while the broadcast displayed scrolling text with no accompanying video footage or images of the meeting. There were no pictures of Xi Jinping, nor any images from the event itself. A review of Xinhua, People’s Daily, and China Military Online showed that all reports on the March 31 Politburo meeting were text-only, without any accompanying visuals.

This is highly telling. If the rumors about He Weidong’s downfall were false, this meeting would have been the perfect opportunity for the CCP to debunk the speculation, showcase internal unity at the highest levels, and reassure the military that stability remains intact.

The CCP has always prioritized maintaining appearances, especially when it comes to military stability, which directly impacts regime security and internal power struggles. In recent weeks, reports of a large-scale purge within the Chinese military have been rampant. Rumors suggest that even Xi Jinping’s closest allies—his trusted 31st Army officers and his right-hand man, He Weidong—have met disastrous fates. If He Weidong were indeed safe, the CCP and Xi would almost certainly have arranged for him to make a public appearance to dispel the rumors. A clear precedent exists: During the Two Sessions, NPC Chairman Zhao Leji briefly disappeared from public view, sparking speculation, but he quickly reemerged, suggesting that the CCP is keenly aware of how to control narratives. The Party also places great emphasis on preserving "the bigger picture" (daju). If necessary, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) or the Military Discipline Inspection Commission could have allowed He Weidong to make a brief, "dignified" appearance at the Politburo meeting before being formally investigated. This strategy was exactly what happened with former Defense Minister Dong Jun.

Yet, at this crucial moment, He Weidong remains conspicuously absent. The most likely explanation is that this once-powerful figure, previously a major proponent of military strategy regarding Taiwan and a pillar of Xi Jinping’s military leadership, has now truly fallen. Interestingly, the official website of the Ministry of National Defense still lists He Weidong’s activities during the Two Sessions under the "Senior Leadership Activities" section, highlighting the strange dynamics of internal CCP power struggles.

On March 27, when asked about He Weidong’s whereabouts during a routine press conference, Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qian simply stated, "I have no information on that matter and am unaware of any such developments." Many interpreted this as an indirect confirmation that He Weidong had indeed been removed. Previously, the right-leaning Washington Times cited two U.S. Department of Defense intelligence officials who claimed that He Weidong, who had disappeared for two weeks following the Two Sessions, was the latest victim of Xi Jinping’s ongoing military purge.

Since the conclusion of the Two Sessions, the political purge within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) military has escalated to an unimaginable level of brutality. Reports suggest that Lin Xiangyang, the Commander of the Eastern Theater Command, along with current Rocket Force Commander Wang Houbin and Armed Police Commander Wang Chunning, have been arrested. On March 25, it was further revealed that Wang Haijiang, the Commander of the Western Theater Command, Wang Peng, the Director of the Military Commission's Training Management Department, Wang Zhongcai, the Eastern Theater Navy Commander, and Ding Laifu, the Commander of the 73rd Group Army, have all been removed from their positions. Concurrently, Xiao Pei, Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and Deputy Director of the National Supervisory Commission, along with Wang Huimin, the CCDI Chief at the China Securities Regulatory Commission, are under investigation. On March 27, it was officially announced that Major General Tang Yong, Deputy Secretary of the Military Discipline Inspection Commission, was stripped of his status as a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. On March 31, the CCDI reported that Duan Chenggang, a member of the Party Group and Vice Chairman of the Chongqing Municipal Political Consultative Conference at the vice-ministerial level, has also been dismissed.

Notably, during the CCP Politburo meeting on March 31, 2025, the official communiqué highlighted the need to 'strengthen the construction of leadership teams, address issues of disorderly conduct, inaction, fear of action, and incompetence, and promote the normalization of the ability of leading cadres to rise and fall.'

The expression 'the ability of leading cadres to rise and fall' is particularly intriguing. Could this be another signal from the anti-Xi faction to challenge Xi Jinping? Given that Xi Jinping's core troops, the 31st Army, have been decimated and his trusted aides Miao Hua and He Weidong are under investigation, such concerns cannot be dismissed as unfounded.

The phrase 'promoting leadership cadres to rise and fall' was last mentioned in the official communiqué of the Communist Party of China's Politburo on October 28, 2024, shortly after the Third Plenary Session. The frequency of terms and titles associated with Xi Jinping, such as 'Xi Thought', 'Xi Core', and 'Four Two Two Four', has notably decreased in party media, sparking speculation about a decline in Xi Jinping's power.

From October 24 to 26, 2024, Zhang Youxia, the First Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, made an official visit to Vietnam, where he received an unusually high-level welcome from the top leaders of the Vietnamese party, government, and military. Notably, during his interactions with Vietnam's highest leaders, Zhang Youxia did not mention Xi Jinping at all. Earlier, on August 29, 2024, former U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan visited Beijing and specifically met with Zhang Youxia, which was interpreted by observers as a sign that Zhang Youxia's rise to power has caught the attention of the United States.

On October 1, 2024, during the National Day memorial reception, Wen Jiabao and Li Ruihuan made prominent appearances and were seated at the same table as Xi Jinping. Analysts noted that the resurgence of elder politics indicates that Xi Jinping's ban on the involvement of older politicians has been lifted, suggesting that his power is being constrained by the party's political elders.

On October 19, 2024, while inspecting Anhui, Xi Jinping made a special visit to Liu Chi Alley in Anqing Tongcheng. Reports revealed that Wang Qishan had also visited Liu Chi Alley prior to his retirement. Media figure Zhao Lanjian interpreted Xi Jinping's visit to Liu Chi Alley on the X platform, suggesting that this action 'has clear implications' and indicates that 'Xi Jinping is beginning to show signs of retreat.'

Recent reports indicate that during a recent inspection in Guizhou, Xi Jinping appeared with a full head of white hair and a pale complexion. In a public address, Xi remarked, 'At the 20th National Congress, we established a central leadership team that carries forward the past and opens up the future, ensuring that even if I retire due to health reasons, the stability of the central leadership collective will be maintained.' 

Not long ago, prominent media figure Cai Shenkun disclosed that the actual core power in Zhongnanhai is currently held by three Chinese Communist Party elders born in 1942: Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao, and Hu Deping. 

While these rumors are difficult to confirm, they seem to suggest a clear trend indicating that Xi Jinping's power may be in jeopardy, whether due to losing influence in internal conflicts or because of health issues that may render him unfit for leadership. Regardless, it appears that Xi's political era is approaching a foreseeable conclusion. 

Conversely, some analysts argue that Xi Jinping still retains his grip on power. They contend that the recent military purge is simply a necessary step for Xi to cultivate loyalty within the armed forces, which underscores the brutality and inhumanity of the communist regime. Such a Stalinist-style authoritarian purge is likely to result in a decline in military morale and ultimately lead to the regime's collapse.  

(First published by People News)