ChinaTalk EMERGENCY POD: PLA Purges Continue!
44 snips
Jan 28, 2026 Jon Czin, former CIA analyst and NSC staffer, returns with concise China-military analysis. They dig into surprise PLA purges and what Zhang Gioxia's fall means for the Central Military Commission. Conversations cover public smear tactics, links to Taiwan readiness, succession risks, morale effects, and how investigations reshape incentives across the party and military.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
From Enemies To Inner Circle Purges
- Xi moved from purging enemies to purging close associates, signaling a qualitative shift in internal politics.
- Removing trusted allies shows Xi treats relationships as expendable tools for consolidating control.
Generational Decapitation Of PLA Leadership
- The PLA purges are part of a longer generational turnover, not isolated incidents.
- Official rhetoric cites corruption and threats to party control as the pretext for wide removals.
Plenum Foreshadowed Bigger Sweeps
- The 2025 plenum showed big removals and people passed over for promotion, foreshadowing deeper purges.
- Jon Czin likened the scale to Mao-era or post-Tiananmen political sweeps.