The removal of PLA senior generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli in January 2026 represented the peak, if not the end, of a massive purge of the military leadership that began in mid-2023. The absence of credible information from Beijing has allowed many theories about the causes of these dismissals to circulate, which often center on factional politics or power consolidation. An examination biographical records, however, yields more support for the view that most purges are in

With the so-called re-education camps closed, not only has media attention on Xinjiang waned but a troubling misconception seems to have taken hold: state violence targeting Uyghurs is over. In reality, the party-state’s infrastructure of repression has become more deeply entrenched in the region. Using open-source materials, especially government reports, official county-level blogs, and cadre diaries, this essay demonstrates that long prison sentences have replaced short-te

The proposal for the 15 th  Five-Year Plan (FYP), approved by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party at its 4 th  plenum in late October 2025, is substantively similar to the proposal for the 14 th FYP. The most important message conveyed in this document is that the party will continue to pursue the security-centered development strategy unveiled in October 2020. Based on the more pessimistic assessments of China’s external environment, the proposal for the ne

China’s elevation of “national security” to a priority has redefined the military’s role in protecting the country. With the National Security Commission assuming responsibility for managing external dangers, the role of the People’s Liberation Army has shifted to one of support. The military remains responsible for ensuring combat readiness and nuclear deterrence, but its contribution to national security consists primarily of non-war actions to augment civilian-led efforts.

Local fiscal constraints have the potential to challenge the Chinese Communist Party’s continued drive for grassroots-level social...