Xi Jinping travelled to Yangquan, Shanxi, to lay flowers at the monument commemorating the Hundred Regiments Offensive. The weather that day was gloomy and foggy. (Video screenshot)
[People News] According to past practice, before the traditional Chinese New Year, Xi Jinping, as Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), would visit a military unit to inspect and extend holiday greetings to officers and soldiers. In January 2025, he visited the Northern Theater Command, accompanied by then–First Vice Chairman of the CMC Zhang Youxia and Northern Theater Command commander Huang Ming. After Zhang Youxia was officially announced under investigation this January, and with only one remaining CMC vice chairman—Zhang Shengmin, who is in charge of discipline inspection and does not enjoy a strong reputation within the military—where did Xi go this year?
According to a February 11 report from the Chinese military website, Xi conducted an inspection of combat readiness duty and task execution across the armed forces “via video” at the Bayi Building in Beijing, and extended greetings to relevant units. In other words, this year Xi did not visit any theater command in person, but instead offered greetings by video.
In the past seven years, this situation occurred only once before—in January 2023—when Xi also inspected military readiness and greeted troops by video from the Bayi Building in Beijing.
At that time, it was during the most severe phase of the COVID outbreak, shortly after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) lifted pandemic controls in early December 2022. Beijing’s hospitals and crematoriums were reportedly overwhelmed. The author heard that in January of that year, it could take up to three months to cremate a body, and burial plots were in extremely high demand. Unconfirmed reports suggested that at least hundreds of thousands of Beijing residents died from COVID. Under such circumstances, Xi’s decision not to visit theater command units in person could be explained by fear of infection.
Looking at other years:
In February 2024 before the New Year, Xi staged his visit at a Tianjin garrison unit.
In 2022, he went to the Joint Operations Command Center of the Central Theater Command in Beijing.
In February 2021, Xi visited an Air Force aviation division in Guizhou.
In January 2020, he visited troops in Yunnan.
In other words, except for 2023 and 2026, Xi personally visited a theater command unit to demonstrate his authority as CMC chairman. The reason in 2023 was the severe pandemic. So what is the reason this year? Clearly, it is related to the arrest of Zhang Youxia.
No one denies that the arrests of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli have caused tremendous shock within the military, officialdom, and elite circles—especially since the move reportedly bypassed the CCP’s own procedures. Without convening a Politburo meeting and obtaining approval, a Politburo member was removed. This not only displeased the military, but also alarmed senior officials who now fear similar treatment.
In addition, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli had deep-rooted connections within the military. Many generals who were already dissatisfied with Xi are likely even more so now. Not long ago, there were reports claiming that a certain military commander allegedly stated that if Xi were to visit his unit, he might shoot him.
Thus, Xi’s move could be seen as placing himself in opposition to parts of the military and putting himself in a vulnerable position. Although Xi can launch large-scale purges within the military through opportunistic loyalists to suppress discontent; although he can enforce public loyalty pledges to eliminate dissent—one must ask: how many in the military are truly loyal to Xi? Surface-level loyalty is never reliable.
Xi likely understands this well. At this moment, how many military commanders can he truly trust? If he were to visit a unit now and encounter a reckless officer or soldier, what if something unexpected happened? Even though Xi’s security detail is at the highest level, there is always the risk of the unforeseen. Therefore, fearing a potential assassination attempt, Xi’s choice to offer greetings by video may be the safest option.
（First published by People News）△
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