PLA Newspaper Praises but Subtly Undermines Xi Jinping – All Because These Words Are Missing

[People News] At a time when CCP leader Xi Jinping has once again dominated headlines with his high-profile appearances, the People’s Liberation Army Daily and PLA Online on September 8 ran a front-page commentary titled “Becoming a Heroic Army that the Party and the People Can Fully Trust.” The article used exaggerated rhetoric and distorted history to claim why the PLA deserves trust, even boasting of its so-called “contributions” during the War of Resistance.

Beyond a brief mention of “Chairman Xi” at the opening, and a concluding pledge to follow the Party’s command under “Xi Jinping Thought,” the article stressed implementing the 20th Party Congress and subsequent plenums, and mentioned the “2442” principle and the “Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) responsibility system.” It reiterated slogans like “always obey the Party and follow the Party.”

On the surface, this looks like another pledge of loyalty to Xi. But when compared to similar reports before July 2024—prior to news of Xi’s serious illness and rest—it reveals something different: the PLA newspaper is praising in words while diminishing in substance, signaling that Xi’s grip over the military has weakened.

For example, in February 2019, the PLA Daily published an article with a nearly identical title: “Always Be a Force the Party and the People Can Fully Trust.” At that time, it tied loyalty directly to Xi, stressing “arming the mind with Xi Jinping Thought” and “resolutely safeguarding the core and obeying Xi’s command.” Today, such phrases—“safeguarding the core” and “obeying Xi’s command”—are absent.

Xi Jinping knocked on the table while addressing NPC Chairman Zhao Leji. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

During the March 2024 “Two Sessions,” the PLA Daily carried another article, “The Gun Barrel Must Always Obey the Party’s Command.” It emphasized the CMC Chairman responsibility system as the essence of Party control over the military, adding:

  • “We must thoroughly implement this system as the greatest expression of loyalty,”

  • “Firmly establish Xi Jinping’s thought on strengthening the military,”

  • and most importantly: “Resolutely obey Chairman Xi’s command, answer to Chairman Xi, and reassure Chairman Xi.”

The article concluded by stressing not just “2442” but also that troops must “resolutely obey the command of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Xi, and be absolutely loyal, pure, and reliable.”

Yet just over a year later, these key phrases—“obey Xi’s command, answer to Xi, reassure Xi”—have disappeared. What does this mean?

As I noted in another analysis, the August 27 PLA Daily piece “Relentlessly Advance Political Work in the Army” also dropped the language about the CMC Chairman responsibility system, and completely omitted the formulaic pledges of loyalty to Xi.

Since the 19th Party Congress, Xi elevated himself as “the One and Only,” tightening control of the military through purges and promotions. For years, the PLA loudly proclaimed the slogan “Obey Xi’s command, answer to Xi, reassure Xi,” even erecting large placards with these words inside military institutions.

Now, the quiet removal of this slogan strongly suggests Xi’s authority within the military is eroding. Current loyalty pledges sound hollow, little more than performance. Omitting the phrase serves two purposes: avoiding confusion within the ranks, and reflecting the reluctance of CMC Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia—who now effectively holds military control—to make such declarations.

On August 26, Zhang Youxia, who notably did not accompany Xi on his Tibet trip, attended a PLA symposium marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. In his speech, Zhang kept Xi at arm’s length: apart from mentioning “approved by Chairman Xi” and “implementing Xi’s instructions” at the start, there was no other pledge of loyalty. Such restraint would have been unthinkable before July 2024.

By carefully reading between the lines of PLA Daily reports, it becomes clear: military media coverage of Xi is now mere theater. The real question is not whether Xi’s standing has declined, but when the façade will be lifted. The upcoming Fourth Plenum in October may provide the answer.