China's Xi makes rare public reference to recent military purges

China's military has grown stronger in the past year in its fight against corruption, President Xi Jinping told the Chinese armed forces on Wednesday, making a rare public reference to the graft probes linked to the country's top generals.

China's two highest-ranked generals have been ensnared in disciplinary probes, with He Weidong expelled in October last year and Zhang Youxia placed under investigation in January, marking one of the most high-profile purges of the Chinese military in decades.

"The past year has been unusual and extraordinary," Xi told the military in a virtual address. "The People's Army has deepened its political education, effectively addressed various risks and challenges, and undergone revolutionary forging in the fight against corruption."

MILITARY LEADERSHIP BODY SHRINKS TO TWO PEOPLE

The downfall of Zhang and He, the two vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission, has cut China's seven-man supreme military leadership body to just a committee of two people - Xi himself as the chair of CMC and a newly promoted vice chairman Zhang Shengmin.

The seats of CMC's three remaining members are currently empty. Li Shangfu was expelled in 2024 and Miao Hua in 2025, while Liu Zhenli was placed under investigation for corruption last month. An unknown number of commanders, including the leaders of China's nuclear deterrence forces, have also been purged.

Zhang Youxia - one of the few remaining combat veterans in the People's Liberation Army - would have been one of the chief decision-makers over whether China would launch an attack on Taiwan, the democratically ruled island claimed by Beijing.

The military's top leadership is also being purged just as China is stepping up efforts to modernise its armed forces and to project its military power farther afield.

In Xi's virtual address on Wednesday, he praised the rank and file instead, saying they were "trustworthy".

"Officers and soldiers across the military, especially those at the grassroots level, had resolutely followed the party's leadership, loyally fulfilled their duties, focused on overcoming difficulties, and successfully completed all tasks."