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Chinese President Xi Jinping launches a historic purge of his top military command, placing General Zhang Youxia under investigation for corruption and disloyalty, revealing deep cracks in the superpower's armor.

In a purge that rivals the wildest episodes of Game of Thrones, Chinese President Xi Jinping has decapitated the leadership of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), placing his second-in-command, General Zhang Youxia, under investigation for "grave violations of discipline."
General Zhang, a man who stood inches from Xi at public ceremonies just weeks ago, is now the highest-ranking casualty in a sweeping anti-corruption dragnet that has engulfed the Chinese military establishment. The charges? A murky cocktail of bribery and political disloyalty, with whispered rumors of leaked nuclear secrets to the West.
"This is the most significant PLA purge in the post-Mao era," says Neil Thomas of the Asia Society. "It is akin to the US President arresting the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff." The move shatters the unspoken rule of immunity for the "princelings"—descendants of the Communist Party's revolutionary founders.
The investigation into Zhang and his colleague Liu Zhenli reveals a paranoia at the heart of the Chinese state. Despite modernizing the military into a terrifying global force, Xi appears unconvinced of his generals' absolute loyalty. The editorial in the PLA Daily accusing them of "betraying trust" is a death knell for their careers, and likely, their freedom.
While the world worries about China’s external aggression towards Taiwan, this internal bloodletting suggests a regime consumed by domestic threats. A military leadership looking over its shoulder for the secret police is not a military focused on war-fighting.
For African nations deeply indebted to Beijing, this instability is a worrying signal. If the man who controls the guns in China is not safe, then the agreements signed with his subordinates may rest on shaky ground. The Dragon is eating its own tail.
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