THE MAN WHO DETHRONED XI JINPING.
The rise of Zhang Youxia:
China's real leader now.
Xi Jinping may still hold the title, but behind closed doors, power has shifted. After a stroke, failed coup attempts, and a silent purge of his loyalists, Xi is now under the shadow of a far more powerful figure—General Zhang Youxia. Backed by the PLA and Party elders, Zhang has dismantled Xi’s inner circle, reversed his military reforms, and seized control of Beijing’s security apparatus. A late-night armed patrol through the capital sent an unmistakable message: Xi no longer commands the military. This is the story of how one man rose from Xi’s trusted ally to the architect of his downfall.
1. 3 reasons why Xi is not in power
2. Xi's troubled relations with his vice chairmen of CMC (Central Military Commission)
3. Xi's troubled relations with his secrete service chief
4. Zhang Youxia's rise to dominance.
Hi everyone, I have a friend who sent me an email today asking me, you know, I mean, she's really concerned about what's happening in Iran. I think we'll be okay. There will be tomorrow. l think the final showdown between the United States, I mean, if there is a final showdown, final war, it will be between the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP) and the United States (US). It's not going to be in the Middle East. So I think we'll be okay for now. Although things could look quite hectic and worrisome, but there will be tomorrow. All right, let's change our subject. Well, I have said it many times before that Xi JinPing has lost real power and is facing an imminent exit. I know not everyone is convinced. After all, well, Xi JinPing is currently in Kazakhstan for the second China Central Asia summit and is being received with full honors as head of state. Let me share a picture with you. I think there he is. So that made people wonder, right. Some China watchers take this as proof that Xǐ Jin Ping is still in control. But in my opinion, there are three clear signs that suggest otherwise.
¹ First, his loyalists have been purged on a massive scale, not just in military but across both central and local governments. ² Second, CCP's propaganda machine has stopped glorifying Xǐ Jin Ping. Using the language reserved for a supreme leader instead they've reverted to slogans and political phrasing from the huin and wjabo era. Even the PLA daily has been publishing a striking eight-part front page commentary since late May and it's titled clarifying right and wrong which many people believe is a eight-part series. That's designed to criticize Xi Jin Ping's leadership. ³ Now, third reason and it's the most important reason. Those people who believe Xi Jin Ping still holds full control overlooked then key figure in his downfall. General Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission in the past three months. We've seen one vice chairman disappearing and one dead, right. Let me share with you the pictures. There's Xi Jin Ping in Kazakhstan. Yes, so we have witnessed one disappearing. Has not been seen in public since March and the retired vice chairman of CMC died. So the fact that Zhang seems to be untouchable and is very active tell you something. So the dramatic Hold on let me let me play you a video um let me let me play you a video that I think is telling. I had played this video (recorded in 2024) to you before but take a look at it here. There's Zhang. Oh, hurry, hurry. Turn back. The boss is coming. Let me turn back. Okay, there he is. And here's another video recorded in 2025. There's he doesn't even bother to turn his head as the boss walked right behind him. After the closing ceremony, Xi Jinping walked out of the venue and greeted Ho Hau Wah and Leung Chun-ying. I think this video is worth 10,000 words. I mean, that video tells you everything. Hold on. Is that video still? Here we go. So you've seen this video before. And I just want to replay that just to refresh your memory. l mean the dramatic change in how Zhang greeted Xi Jin Ping at the meeting, at the CCP two sessions this year (2025) versus last year (2024) is telling. Well, the two of them have been locked in a quiet power struggle for over a year. Zhang now commands this PLA and holds decisive influence over both Xi Jin Ping's fate and China's future. Understanding Zhang Youxia and his power struggles with Xi Jin Ping is essential to making sense of today's shifting power dynamics within the CCP. So let's first review the ups and downs of their relationship to understand how Zhang Youxia dethroned Xi Jin Ping. Honestly, I don't think it's his choice, but it's his fate. Just like Xi Jin Ping had always feared. But it is exactly as it turned out to be. Exactly as prophecy or ancient wisdom has prophesized. And once l explain it, you will understand why General Xu Qiliang has died. And why the other vice chairman He Weidong has disappeared.
So let me give you a little history on Xi Jin Ping's relations with his vice chairman. So when Xi Jin Ping first came to power, the PLA was led by generals loyal to Jiang Zemin while Hu Jintao was being sidelined. During Hu Jintao's leadership, Jiang Zemin continued to exert influence over the Chinese Communist Party, often overshadowing Hu and shaping political events through his loyalists, known as the Shanghai Gang. This dynamic created a complex power struggle within the party, as Hu struggled to establish his own authority while Jiang's legacy and connections remained significant.
Learning from Hu's lesson, Xi Jin Ping decided to clean out Jiang Zemin's influence and build his own class of military leaders. He relied on air force General Xu Qiliang. Xu was a decorated pilot and former PLA air force commander. Now with Xu at the top and another air force general, his name is Yi XiaoGuang, in charge of the central theater command which is the command in tasked with the responsibility of protecting Beijing. So, Xi Jin Ping established full control over the PLA by relying on these. And here's Guang. So these air force generals helped Xi Jinping obtain power in in during the early years of his reign. So there was an expression in China which is saying that Xi Jinping's military is the air force and the air force is Xi Jinping's army. ( In Chinese ,习近平的军队是空军，空军是习近平的军队 , in hanyu pinyin, Xíjìnpíng de jūnduì shì kōngjūn, kōngjūn shì xíjìnpíng de jūnduì) So that was the going expressions in Beijing. So General Xu Qiliang played an important role in helping Xi Jinping obtain power. He also played an instrumental role during Xi Jinping's military reforms. However, Xi Jinping's favoritism of the Air Force didn't last long. When his imperial instincts kicked in, he started to feel insecure and discarded the haunting dog once the game is caught.(一旦猎物被捕获，就丢弃了那条令人作呕的狗; Yīdàn lièwù bèi bǔhuò, jiù diūqìle nà tiáolìng rén zuò'ǒu de gǒu) He began to grow suspicious of the Air Force officers who had helped him rise. And then he looked to replace them with loyalists from the 31st group army based in Fujian which was his old power base. And so the man you see on the screen, (Yi Xiaoguang ) was quietly ordered to retire at just 63 years old. And he was replaced in 2021 by Lingyang, a younger general from Fujian. So in this transition Zhang Youxia's rose to prominence. Like I said before, Zhang Youxia's father fought with Xi Jinping's father during the revolution. So the two families were close. And like Xi Jinping, Zhang is a red princeling. The Princelings (太子党), also translated as the Party's Crown Princes, are the descendants of prominent and influential senior communist officials in the People's Republic of China. It is an informal, and often derogatory, categorization to signify those believed to be benefiting from nepotism and cronyism, by analogy with the crown prince in hereditary monarchies. Zhang thus became Xi Jinping's closest ally in the military and the two worked closely. At that time, Xi Jinping had an urgent need. Now Xi Jinping had never trusted his bodyguards managed by the Central Security Bureau or CSB*. (*中央安全局 Zhōngyāng ānquán jú). Xǐ Jinping wanted a field army general to take over his personal protection unit. So he turned to Zhang for help. Zhang Youxia recommended General Zhou Hongxu. Let me see his picture. There he is. Yes, he doesn't appear in many pictures. General Zhou Hongxu was formerly artillery regimen commander of the 40th Army and then deputy chief of staff of the Northern Theater ground forces. He's not the theatre command's deputy chief of northern theater. And so in July 2021, Zhou was officially appointed the head of CSB or Central Security Bureau. So he was put in charge of Xi Jinping's personal protection. General Zhou's appointment as Xi Jinping's head of security signaled deep trust between Xi Jinping and Zhang Youxia. At the time, their relationship was at its peak. Xi Jinping also needed the military's support to secure his third term at the upcoming 20th party congress. And Zhang Youxia gave him his support and Xi Jinping successfully obtained his third term in 2022. And then at that party congress, General Xu Qiliang retired and he was replaced by Zhang Youxia. But the power dynamics shifted again when Xi Jinping suddenly realized that Zhang Youxia had grown too powerful. Now let's compare Xu Qiliang and Zhang Youxia. These two army generals are strikingly different. Xu Qiliang came from an ordinary family and is said to be very good at maintaining good relations with superiors. And he even maintained good relations with Xi Jinping's wife. So he has good interpersonal skills, shall we say. He's very smooth or otherwise he wouldn't rise to the top. Zhang Youxia however is different. I mean he was born into a powerful military family and he was a princeling. I mean he is a princling. He is a war veteran and rose through the ranks steadily through merit. So therefore, I mean, John he he is well respected in the PLA and is said to be very confident. That's a good way to put it. So that's him. I mean because of his background. So he behaves differently than now. There is something about him that made Xi Jinping very nervous
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