Deconstructing the Relationship Between Xu Qiliang, Xi Jinping, and Zhang Youxia

Xu Qiliang thrived under four generations of CCP leaders—Deng, Jiang, Hu, and Xi—without decline; He served as a symbol of truce in the compromise between Xi Jinping and the Tuanpai (Communist Youth League faction); The simultaneous political turnarounds of Hu Haifeng and Xu Qiliang marked a turning point in Xi Jinping’s weakening grip on power. (Provided by "Portraits of the Truth")

[People News] June 8 marked the seventh day after the death of former Chinese Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice Chairman Xu Qiliang. According to CCP state media, Xu’s funeral was held that morning at Babaoshan Cemetery in Beijing. General Secretary Xi Jinping and the other six members of the Politburo Standing Committee were in attendance. Xu’s death has drawn intense scrutiny from independent media, with many questioning the official cause and suggesting it offers further evidence that Xi Jinping is losing his grip on power. Recent large-scale purges among Xi’s military faction further indicate that current CMC Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia may be striking back.

On June 2, 2025, at precisely 12:12 p.m., Xinhua News Agency issued a brief announcement: former CMC Vice Chairman Xu Qiliang had died at age 75 from "ineffective medical treatment following illness." However, this so-called "heart attack" did not bring closure—it instead opened another window into the factional fractures at the top of the CCP hierarchy. Xu’s death is a cautionary tale: a high-ranking military officer who rose from a humble Shandong farming background and aspired to join the CCP elite met only death at the end. His relationships with Xi Jinping and current CMC Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia were tangled webs of personal gain, power struggles, and ruthless calculations.

I. The Rise of a Grassroots Official

Xu Qiliang rose to the powerful post of CMC Vice Chairman—a position just beneath the top of China’s military hierarchy—during peacetime, without ever experiencing real warfare. That alone speaks to his blend of luck and political savvy.

So, who recognised Xu’s potential and helped elevate him? In 1978, after Deng Xiaoping wrested control from Hua Guofeng, he initiated a sweeping military purge. One well-known figure purged at that time was Zhang Zongxun, who had first backed Lin Biao and later the Gang of Four. When the Gang fell, Deng told Zhang, “You’re sick. Go home and rest.” Zhang replied, “But I’m not sick.” Deng retorted, “No—you are.”

Zhang Zongxun got the message and vanished from public life for 20 years until his death in 1998. During those decades of reform and opening, he warned his son to lie low. That son was Zhang Youxia.

After pushing Zhang Zongxun into retirement, Deng Xiaoping needed a loyal successor in the military. He chose Zhang Zhen, a protégé from the Third Field Army whom Deng regarded as part of his inner circle. In 1978, as China launched reforms, its military needed to transform from a revolutionary force focused on class struggle to a professional army serving national modernisation. Deng instructed Zhang Zhen to lead the military reform and to promote young, open-minded, technically skilled officers.

After careful consideration, Zhang Zhen chose a young air force officer in his 30s, Xu Qiliang, who had personally piloted a jet over Tiananmen Square in the 1984 military parade. Xu was technically proficient, politically savvy, and tactful. Zhang Zhen took a particular liking to him, treating him almost like a son and paving a fast track to power for him.

From that point on, Xu’s fate became entangled with another rising military figure—Zhang Youxia. Though both men rose within the military elite, they represented two distinct paths: Xu, the grassroots striver, and Zhang, the “Red Second Generation” princeling. Their subsequent rivalry would become an undercurrent in the CCP’s military power struggles.

Xu, with his strong technical credentials and diplomatic finesse, frequently broke convention as he climbed the ranks. His career-defining turning point came when he met his second political benefactor: Hu Jintao.

In 2007, during the Sino-Russian joint military exercise, Xu served as China’s lead commander. He impressed Hu with his organisational and diplomatic skills, securing Hu’s trust. Hu began grooming Xu for higher office.

As the 18th Party Congress approached, Hu hastened his political arrangements to ensure Xi Jinping’s smooth succession. Xu Qiliang was swiftly added to the CMC lineup. The result was the unusual configuration of five vice chairmen: Xi Jinping, Xu Caihou, Guo Boxiong, Fan Changlong, and Xu Qiliang. In this lineup, Xu emerged as a central figure and ultimately Xi’s first key to controlling the military.

When Xi initially assumed command of the armed forces, he was unfamiliar with its internal workings. Xu Qiliang thus became the de facto architect of military personnel reshuffles and purges. According to U.S. journalist Bill Gertz, Xi and Xu were so close that they were "like family"—a testament to Xi’s heavy reliance on him.

Xu served as Xi’s executioner in the military. He mobilised the PLA’s intelligence systems to root out and eliminate generals and factions that might pose a threat to Xi’s consolidation of power, launching multiple waves of intense "military cleansing" campaigns.

Xu also led major reforms to reorganise the air force and Second Artillery Corps, folding the once semi-independent, well-funded “Second Artillery” into the new Rocket Force. This move weakened local power bases and directly undermined Zhang Youxia’s core interests, laying the groundwork for future conflicts.

II. Zhang Youxia: Blood and Thunder

As previously noted, Zhang Youxia is the son of revolutionary veteran Zhang Zongxun, a bona fide “Red Second Generation.” Yet, unlike many princelings who rely on pedigree, Zhang chose to earn his promotions on the battlefield. His rise was bathed in blood, not privilege.

In the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War, 26-year-old Zhang Youxia commanded a company along the Yunnan border. When ordered to the front, he proposed a bold strategy: avoid frontal assault and attack from an unguarded flank. His superior gave him command of four companies. Though only one made it through the treacherous terrain, their surprise assault helped secure a swift victory. Zhang’s leadership earned him an immediate promotion to regiment commander.

In 1984, during renewed border clashes, Zhang led a daring attack as the vanguard. He employed a "bombard first, assault later" strategy, capturing a key hilltop in 40 minutes and annihilating over 3,000 Vietnamese troops within three days. He was awarded a rare First-Class Merit, clearing the path for rapid advancement.

Zhang later rose to head the General Armaments Department in 2012, gaining control over China’s military hardware and missile development. It was here that he formed deep ties with the semi-autonomous Second Artillery Corps, bringing the "kingdom of firepower" under his sway.

So when Xu Qiliang restructured the Second Artillery into the Rocket Force, it struck directly at Zhang’s power base, sparking a fierce and irreconcilable feud.

III. Xi Jinping’s “Xu-Zhang Pairing” Strategy

At the 19th Party Congress, Xi paired Xu and Zhang together—likely a calculated move to exploit their rivalry. By the 20th Congress, Xi’s obsession with “Red Bloodlines” tipped the scales in Zhang’s favour. Zhang remained calm at first, but he began taking action soon after.

When Xi launched an initial corruption probe into Li Shangfu, Zhang Youxia’s unease grew. Li wasn’t a random target—he was a trusted protégé of Zhang and successor at the General Armaments Department. His downfall, in Zhang’s view, was no isolated incident but a harbinger of worse to come.

Radio Free Asia later reported that Li, under investigation, named powerful individuals he had bribed, including former Defence Minister Wei Fenghe. Who else might be implicated? If investigators followed the thread far enough, Zhang Youxia was an unavoidable destination.

In this power purge under the banner of anti-corruption, Zhang Youxia realised that Xi's gun was quietly being aimed at him.

Realising he might be next, Zhang launched a counterattack. His first target was Miao Hua, former military discipline czar and a key figure in Xi’s anti-corruption drive. Miao was suddenly taken down—allegedly dragging 1,300 officers with him. Analysts viewed this as Zhang’s preemptive strike, aiming to unravel Xi’s factional grip over the military.

At the same time, CMC Vice Chairman He Weidong, a known Xi loyalist, mysteriously disappeared. This raised speculation of a broader power struggle at the very top. If even someone as close to Xi as He could be in danger, might Xi himself be in the eye of the storm?

Shen Ming-shih, a researcher at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defence and Security Research, suggested Xu Qiliang’s sudden death was likely tied to ongoing military purges. He noted that Xu, a key enforcer of Xi’s anti-Jiang campaigns, might have died from stress or been taken out in a power struggle initiated by Zhang Youxia.

In truth, no high-ranking official within the CCP system is entirely clean. Corruption—bribery, kickbacks, power-for-money deals—is systemic. Even Xi’s own family has been reported by foreign media to possess massive overseas assets. In this system, the issue isn’t who is corrupt, but who gets investigated, and who gets protected.

Anti-corruption in China is not about ethics—it’s about eliminating threats. It's a tool for Xi to decide who lives, who dies, and who stays useful.

Whether Xu Qiliang died by suicide, was assassinated, or died of illness, the death of a 75-year-old vice–state-level official is not normal in today’s China. He wasn’t a nobody—he was a central player who helped Xi consolidate military control, yet he couldn’t even secure a dignified end.

Xu, born to a humble farming family, clawed his way up to CMC Vice Chairman. He endured political attacks and humiliation. He may have believed that total loyalty to Xi would ensure his safety. In the end, the most Xi gave him was a complete corpse.

Xu’s death is more than a personal tragedy—it’s a blaring warning for every official in the system, especially grassroots climbers. What future awaits them? In a system driven solely by power and money, loyalty is a disposable chip. If you fail, you're discarded. If you succeed, you become the next “Xu Qiliang.”

And as for Zhang Youxia, though he may have the upper hand now, all he’s won is the right to keep playing this deadly game. His future will be spent watching his back and waiting for the next blade.

Xu Qiliang’s death leaves one haunting riddle for all Chinese officials:

Ten birds sit in a tree. You shoot one. How many are left?

(People News original)