Chinese President Xi Jinping has lost trust in the generals he has appointed, The New York Times reported, citing analysts.
Military Dismissals Threaten Modernization of China's Army, the newspaper notes.
“Xi Jinping's rule is gradually entering its final phase. At this stage, his political calculations are changing and he is increasingly concerned about members of his inner circle“, said Chien-wen Kou, a professor at National Chungchi University in Taiwan.
The new campaign, according to the publication, is not limited to personnel changes. China has launched a program of “ideological correction“ and “revolutionary education“. The aim is to strengthen the loyalty of officers to the Communist Party and Chairman Xi.
The newspaper reported that Xi has concluded that the commanders he has chosen to modernize the army are no longer reliable. One reason is corruption.
Joel Utnov, a senior fellow at the National Defense University in Washington, suggested that the Chinese leader is drawing a parallel between corruption and ideological incorrectness.
“In Xi's opinion, the problems with combat readiness stemming from corruption are simply a consequence of ideological impurity,“ he said.
“There should never be anyone in the army who is divided in his attitude towards the party,“ the Chinese leader said.
Jianwen Kou believes that Xi attaches deep meaning to the phrase “a divided heart“. The expert explained that this phrase appears in ancient Chinese treatises that advise rulers on how to confront treacherous generals. It is found in one of the volumes that Xi Jinping kept on his bookshelf.
In February 2026, The New York Times, citing American intelligence, reported that President Xi Jinping had shown signs of extreme paranoia in recent years.
Sources of the newspaper indicated this in a comment on the purge in the high command of the Chinese army.
The number of high-ranking admirals and generals in the country has been reduced from 30 to 7 since 2023. The latest episode in the purge is the arrest of Zhang Yuxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. „Wall Street Journal“ reported that he was suspected of passing key technical data on Chinese nuclear weapons to the United States.
„Xinhua“ wrote that an investigation had been launched on suspicion of “serious violations of discipline and law“.
On May 7, „Xinhua“ reported that former Chinese defense ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe had been sentenced to death for bribery, with a two-year reprieve. After the two-year reprieve, the sentences will be commuted to life imprisonment.