Zhang Youxia’s Road(s) to Removal Under Xi
- Insightful analysis of General Zhang Youxia (张又侠)’s purge by K. Tristan Tang just out in Jamestown China Brief.
- Unique firsthand details from Drew Thompson.
Read together, they suggest a talented top PLA leader whose power, connections, and initiative became too threatening to Xi and his objectives.
While Zhang Youxia is officially charged with #1, this fits with #2 and #3 of what I call the “Roads to Perdition Under Xi”:
1. Dysfunction. Graft/disciplinary violations undermining mission preparations.
2. Disloyalty. Alternative “mountaintops” of power/patronage networks and beneficiaries.
3. Unreliability. Falling short of, or questioning, ambitious objectives.
— e.g., Xi’s 2027 Centennial Military Building Goal (建军一百年奋斗目标).
- I explained these Roads to Removal in my keynote address at SENEDIA. Watch it on YouTube.
- Accompanying slides here.
- Click here for background and related publications.
