Northern Theater Political Commissar Downplays Xi – Where Has the Commander Disappeared To?

Dark clouds hang over Tiananmen Square in Beijing. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

[People News] According to Liaoning Daily, on August 1, Liaoning Province held a military-civilian symposium to mark Army Day ("August 1") in Shenyang. The first paragraph of the report had a peculiar phrasing: after mentioning Hao Peng, the Provincial Party Secretary and Director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, it stated that "the main leaders of the Northern Theatre Command attended and delivered speeches." However, in contrast, the report from the military-civilian symposium on July 31, 2024, clearly stated that "Commander Huang Ming of the Northern Theatre Command attended, and Political Commissar Zheng Xuan delivered a speech." The 2023 report similarly specified that "Commander Wang Qiang of the Northern Theatre Command attended and gave a speech, and Political Commissar Zheng Xuan also attended."

Clearly, this year’s ambiguous phrase—"main leaders of the Northern Theatre Command attended and delivered speeches"—was intended to obscure the fact that Commander Huang Ming was absent. This has sparked speculation: Was Huang Ming investigated like other senior officers? Or is there another reason?

Before answering this question, let’s examine how, from 2023 to 2025, the commanders or political commissars of the Northern Theatre Command expressed their loyalty to Xi in their speeches at these military-civilian symposiums—besides exchanging pleasantries with local officials. Has there been any shift in tone?

In 2025, Political Commissar Zheng Xuan stated in his speech that earlier this year, “Chairman Xi personally visited Liaoning and came to the theater command to offer his care and concern,” then added that “under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the Liaoning Provincial Party Committee and government have made significant achievements.” He concluded by saying that since the beginning of the year, “the Party committee organs and forces of the Northern Theater Command have resolutely implemented the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Xi… adhered to the Party’s command and strived to strengthen the military, pushing forward political rectification…”

Compared with Hao Peng’s speech, which included phrases like “under the comprehensive promotion of political strengthening of the military, reforming and strengthening the military, developing it through science and technology, cultivating talent, and governing by law by the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core,” and “Xi Jinping’s thinking on strengthening the military is a great theoretical innovation rooted in the new era of building a strong country and strong military,” and “the Northern Theater Command thoroughly implements Xi Jinping’s thinking on strengthening the military,” and that Liaoning’s achievements were due to Xi’s “guidance at the helm and the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee,” guided by “Xi’s Thought”—Zheng Xuan's speech notably lacked references to "Xi Jinping Thought" or “Xi Jinping's thought on strengthening the military,” and avoided praising Xi altogether. Isn’t that strange?

Now, let’s look at Zheng Xuan’s speech in 2024. He began by thanking all levels of Liaoning’s authorities, then said that since the 20th Party Congress, “the Liaoning Provincial Party Committee and government have resolutely implemented Chairman Xi’s important speeches and directives on the comprehensive revitalization of Northeast China and Liaoning, and resolutely carried out the decisions of the Party Central Committee.” He then stated that since the start of the year, “the Party committee organs and forces of the Northern Theater Command, following the decisions of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Xi, have deeply studied and implemented Xi Jinping's thinking on strengthening the military, especially focusing on the spirit of the 3rd Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee and the Central Military Commission's Political Work Conference...” He also mentioned that on July 30, Xi emphasised maritime and air defence during the 16th collective study session of the Politburo.

At the time, Hao Peng said that “under the leadership of the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core, the great cause of strengthening the military is being planned and steered,” that the Northern Theater Command “fully implements Xi Jinping's thinking on strengthening the military,” and emphasized that supporting national defense and military construction is a concrete action to firmly defend the “Two Establishes” and resolutely achieve the “Two Upholds.”

Compared to Hao Peng, Zheng Xuan’s tone was also relatively subdued, though he did mention “Xi Jinping's thinking on strengthening the military.”

Going back to 2023, then-Commander Wang Qiang said in his speech that Liaoning Province had fully implemented “Xi Jinping Thought,” and that the troops of the Northern Theatre Command had been armed with “Xi Thought” to advance combat training and preparedness. He added that they would “live up to Chairman Xi Jinping’s earnest expectations for the military and people of Liaoning.”

At that time, Hao Peng also emphasised “Xi Thought,” “Xi Jinping's thinking on strengthening the military,” and Xi’s instructions, once again stressing that supporting national defence and military construction was a concrete expression of defending the “Two Establishes” and achieving the “Two Upholds.”

Comparing Three Years of Speeches by Liaoning's Top Official and the Northern Theatre Command’s Political Commissar or Commander at Military-Civil Symposia Reveals the Following Conclusions:

1. Since rumours emerged after the CCP’s Third Plenary Session in July 2024 about Xi Jinping’s illness and subsequent reports that he had lost control over the military, it has become an undeniable fact that the military has begun downplaying Xi. Particularly considering the various signals released this year by the Party leadership and military, the idea that Xi has lost military authority is not baseless. As the Political Commissar of the Northern Theater Command, Zheng Xuan is likely well-informed. In his speech this year, he avoided mentioning “Xi Jinping Thought” or “Xi’s Thought on Strengthening the Military.” He only made a passing, neutral remark that Xi had visited the theater and offered “concern”—a formulaic expression—and emphasized loyalty to the Party, not Xi himself. This subtle shift carries significant implications.

According to state media reports, earlier this year, ahead of the Chinese New Year, Xi Jinping visited the Northern Theater Command, accompanied by Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia and Northern Theater Commander Huang Ming. However, CCTV’s footage did not show Xi interacting with officers or extending “cordial greetings” to the troops—something that was shown in similar footage from 2022 and 2023, even during the COVID pandemic.

Moreover, compared to past years, this year’s CCTV video gave Xi very little screen time for personal display, entirely lacking the aura of a military strongman he once projected. After hearing reports during his visit, Xi simply repeated his standard line that “all military units must strengthen combat readiness and respond effectively to any potential emergencies,” and extended greetings on behalf of the Party and Central Military Commission—without any additional instructions, expectations, or goals. In contrast, previous years’ addresses always included such aspirations—for instance, in 2024, Xi urged “thorough implementation of the new-era military-strengthening thought, the strategic military guidelines of the new era, and resolute efforts to achieve the goal of building a world-class military by the PLA’s centennial…”

Because of this official downplaying and apparent inside knowledge of the situation, Zheng Xuan’s speech—while maintaining Xi’s formal “authority”—nonetheless subtly revealed Xi’s actual diminished status within the military.

2. Hao Peng, who lavishly praised Xi in past speeches, did not mention the “Two Establishes” or “Two Upholds” in this year’s address—another signal that Xi’s standing has clearly declined.

So, while Zheng Xuan’s downplaying of Xi reflects his real status, what happened to Huang Ming, who had only served as Commander of the Northern Theater for a year?

Huang Ming, now 62 years old, was promoted in 2023 to Commander of the Central Theater Command and then transferred to the Northern Theater Command in August 2024. Meanwhile, Wang Qiang, the former Northern Commander, took over the Central Theater. It’s known that Huang Ming was part of Zhang Youxia’s former 16th Group Army, and Wang Qiang is also trusted by Zhang.

The key question is: why were the commanders of the Central and Northern Theater Commands swapped immediately after Xi’s alleged incident last year? The Central Theater Command, responsible for defending Beijing, is clearly more strategic. This suggests that Zhang Youxia may trust Wang Qiang more than Huang Ming. Huang Ming’s current disappearance has led some analysts to speculate that he might also be under investigation, which would imply that Xi still holds military power and that Zhang Youxia might be in trouble.

However, the author does not agree with that interpretation. Even if Huang Ming is under investigation, it does not prove that Xi is still in control. In fact, after Xi’s incident last year, Huang Ming was removed from the Central Theater, which suggests he had already lost trust. The most likely reason for that mistrust was political, and the order to reassign him probably came from Zhang Youxia. If Huang Ming is now being investigated, the order likely also came from Zhang.

Of course, there’s another possibility: if Zhang still trusts Huang Ming, then Huang’s absence could simply mean he was assigned to carry out another mission and couldn’t attend the symposium.

Regardless of the specific reason, none of these possibilities proves that Xi still controls the military. On the contrary, the changes in tone from both Zheng Xuan and Hao Peng this year make it far more likely that Xi has lost power.

(Originally published by People News) △