Chinese President Xi Jinping's ongoing purge of China's top military leaders has shaken the armed forces and created temporary command problems, a leading defence research centre said on Tuesday. Dozens of generals and hundreds of lower-ranking officers have been removed in recent years as part of anti-corruption investigations and political consolidations.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) experienced “significant personnel changes” that have affected its command structure, a report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) covering 2025 said.
“From an organisational perspective, until the vacancies are filled, the PLA is operating with serious deficiencies in its command structure,” the report said.
The report adds that the issues are “likely to be a temporary disturbance” and that China's military buildup is continuing.
Military Operations
Even during the period of leadership changes, the PLA has increased operations near Taiwan. For the fourth consecutive year, the number of PLA incursions into Taiwan's air defence identification zone rose. In September 2025, a large military parade displayed China's nuclear capabilities on land, sea, and air.
“The nuclear weapons on display were intended to send a message of deterrence to the US,” the report said.
China is showing its military strength across the Indo-Pacific, backing territorial claims. Defence spending hit $340 billion in 2025, up 7 per cent for the third year. The upcoming Five-Year Plan is expected to further boost its military.
Purges of Top Generals
In January, two of China's top generals were removed from the Central Military Commission (CMC). Zhang Youxia, vice-chair of the CMC, and Liu Zhenli, chief of the PLA joint staff, were dismissed for corruption and political reasons. This reduced the CMC, which controls the PLA, from 11 members when Xi came to power in 2012 to only two.
In 2025, China expelled its second-highest-ranking general and eight other senior military officials over corruption and political misconduct.
He Weidong, vice-chair of the Central Military Commission (CMC), was the most senior official targeted. The other dismissed officials include Miao Hua, director of the CMC's political work department, and several members of the Party's Central Committee.
Risks
“China's crackdown on top military leaders may be weakening the country's ability to fight a large-scale war, but it could also make conflict more likely if mistakes or misjudgments spiral out of control,” author Gordon Chang told Fox News.
Historically, the Communist Party has focused on loyalty in the military. Past leaders like Mao Zedong also removed officers seen as potential threats. Xi's actions are seen as part of a strategy to consolidate authority and prevent challenges to his control.
Analysts say that concentrating power in one leader can make internal reports less reliable and may lead officers to follow more aggressive orders, as per Newsweek.
