Zhang Youxia has broken these established protocols. Is Xi still the chairman of the Military Commission?

Pictured: File photo of Zhang Youxia (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

[People News] On the afternoon of September 23, Xi Jinping led a delegation from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to Urumqi to participate in the 70th anniversary celebration of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, scheduled for the 25th. The arrangements for this trip to Xinjiang are largely similar to those of his previous visit to Tibet. While state media reported that Xi was leading the delegation, the actual head of the delegation remains Wang Huning, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. It is quite unusual that Xi, who travelled a long distance to attend the conference, did not deliver a speech and only participated in the event. This arrangement seems particularly odd given Xi's health issues.

In a similar vein, Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, did not accompany Xi. During Xi's last trip to Tibet, he was accompanied by Zhang Shengmin, a member of the Military Commission, while this time it was another member, Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli. According to official statements, both conferences are unprecedented in their high standards, and as the highest military leader, Zhang Youxia should have accompanied Xi Jinping, who is still referred to by state media as the chairman of the Military Commission, just as he did in July 2021 when he accompanied Xi to Tibet.

However, it is surprising that Zhang Youxia did not accompany Xi on either occasion without any apparent concern for the consequences. What does this breach of protocol signify?

In fact, Zhang Youxia's disregard for the convention that the vice chairman of the Military Commission should accompany the chairman did not start with the trip to Tibet. In March of this year, Xi Jinping visited Kunming for research and met with representatives of the stationed troops there. Unusually, no member of the Military Commission accompanied him during this visit. At that time, He Weidong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, was already rumoured to be under investigation, and Zhang Youxia, who should have been present, was also notably absent.

A review of past official reports from the Chinese Communist Party reveals that Xi Jinping typically inspects military camps during his visits to various regions in China, accompanied by at least one vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. However, this year, Zhang Youxia has broken this pattern three times.

Moreover, in December of last year, it was not Zhang Youxia, the first vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, who was supposed to accompany Xi to Macau, but He Weidong, the second-ranking vice chairman. In contrast, during Xi's visits to Hong Kong in July 2022 and late June 2017, as well as his trip to Macau in December 2014, he was always accompanied by the first vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.

If Xi's status as the 'one supreme leader' remains unchallenged and his military authority is intact, why would Zhang Youxia not be by his side?

Another significant change is that the tone of reports about Xi from Zhang Youxia himself, the military newspaper, and military pictorials has noticeably softened, with expressions differing from previous reports. While they still refer to him as 'Chairman Xi' and invoke the '2442' loyalty slogan for appearances, the overall impression is that much of the content feels perfunctory.

Notably, Zhang Youxia has avoided mentioning the 'implementation of the military commission responsibility system.' In some events he attended, there was a lack of expressions of loyalty towards Xi. For example, at the award ceremony for the astronauts of Shenzhou 18 and Shenzhou 19 held in Beijing on September 10, Zhang Youxia did not mention Xi's interest in space exploration and refrained from expressing loyalty, seemingly not regarding the military commission chairman highly.

Regarding the covers of military pictorials, from the April issue to the recently published August issue, they have consecutively removed Xi's portrait for five months, a decision that can only originate from the upper echelons of the military.

It is widely recognised that after Xi Jinping consolidated his power at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and embarked on the path of becoming the 'supreme leader', the format used by the official and military media to extol Xi has become quite familiar to many. The 'Liberation Army Pictorial', a key military publication, consistently emphasises 'listen to Chairman Xi's words', and unless in exceptional circumstances, the cover typically features a photo of Xi speaking at various significant events.

The true reason behind Xi's removal is that he has indeed lost power; otherwise, how could Zhang Youxia dare to take such actions?

The third rule that Zhang Youxia broke occurred during the military parade on September 3, where he stood in the front row at Tiananmen Gate alongside several high-ranking officials from the Politburo Standing Committee, making an appearance in the official media's coverage. For at least the past decade, no vice chairman of the Central Military Commission has stood in such a prominent position as Zhang Youxia. This clearly underscores his current standing within the military.

Additionally, during the summary meeting commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War on September 17, CCTV footage showed a stark contrast to previous events that highlighted Xi. In every frame of high-ranking officials like Xi Jinping shaking hands with representatives, Zhang Youxia was prominently featured, with most images being quite clear.

Moreover, after the group photo, CCTV deliberately aired footage of Xi Jinping exiting the venue. At that moment, Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and Yin Li were seen clapping while following Xi Jinping, escorting him out. Notably, there was no footage of Xi Jinping leaving in 2019. After the group photo, the broadcast immediately transitioned to Wang Huning speaking.

Interestingly, as Xi Jinping was leaving, Zhang Youxia did not follow the crowd in clapping and bidding him farewell. Instead, he remained stationary, merely mimicking the gesture of clapping without actually doing so. What does this signify?

From the author's perspective, Zhang Youxia's repeated breaches of protocol serve to convey to the outside world that the real control over the military lies with him, backed by the elders of the Communist Party of China. However, prior to any official announcement from the Party, Xi, Zhang, and other senior officials must continue to maintain their performances. Once the truth is unveiled, people will look back and experience a moment of clarity.

(First published by the People News) △