The Central Economic Work Conference Again Confirms That Zhang Youxia’s Position Is Unusual

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

[People News] According to Chinese state media, the Central Economic Work Conference was held in Beijing from December 10 to 11. All seven members of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee—Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi—attended the meeting. Xi delivered a speech analyzing the current economic situation and laying out economic work for 2026, and Li Qiang gave the concluding remarks.

The procedures and attendees were no different from previous years’ Central Economic Work Conferences. What drew the most attention was the appearance of Li Xi. Not long ago, Li Xi was rumored to have missed two Politburo meetings, and the Politburo meetings also failed to mention the CCDI report as usual. For this reason, many believed that something might have happened to Li Xi. Clearly, his appearance this time seems like a “rumor-dispelling” gesture, but based on past experience, the fact that Li Xi is fine now does not guarantee that he will be fine in the future. In the political ocean of the CCP, no official can guarantee their safety forever.

However, CCP Politburo member and former Xinjiang Party Secretary Ma Xingrui—who was also rumored to be in trouble—once again did not attend the meeting. His rumored downfall is likely real; otherwise he could have used this opportunity to show up and “dispel rumors.” Because he is said to be involved with numerous officials at First Heavy Industries and with Xi Jinping’s wife Peng Liyuan, if Ma Xingrui is thoroughly investigated, the implications could be extensive.

As for the meeting’s deployment and outlook on China’s economy in 2026, I truly have no interest. As long as the CCP’s system remains unchanged and continues along its old path, China’s economy cannot improve, and the Chinese people will only be squeezed harder by the CCP. The official jargon and empty rhetoric in the meeting are nothing but self-deception. For these CCP elites, safeguarding their own interests is the top priority.

What is noteworthy is the statement that “we must consciously unify our thinking and actions with the Central Committee’s scientific assessment of the situation” and that “we must uphold the Central Committee’s centralized and unified leadership.” This again shows that Xi’s power has weakened and that the CCP Central Committee has returned to collective leadership.

In my view, the biggest highlight of this year’s meeting is that the true status of Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, has once again been revealed. Let’s examine three abnormalities reported in state media:

1. State media explicitly listed “Vice Chairman of the CMC” among attendees

In the December 11 state media report, the list of attendees included: members of the CCP Politburo, secretaries of the CCP Secretariat, vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission, leaders of the National People’s Congress, state councilors, the president of the Supreme People’s Court, the procurator-general of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, CPPCC leaders, and members of the Central Military Commission.

In the 2024 and 2023 reports, every category was listed except “Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission.”

Clearly, the “Vice Chairman of the CMC” mentioned this year refers specifically to Zhang Youxia, because the newly promoted vice chairman, Zhang Shengmin, is not a Politburo member and does not qualify for special mention.

This is strange: Zhang Youxia is already a Politburo member, so there is usually no need to list him again separately as a CMC vice chairman. Yet such an unusual arrangement occurred. If Zhang did not indeed hold real power over the military, such an arrangement would not have appeared.

2. CCTV News footage reveals anomalies, showing Zhang Youxia’s unusual position

In the December 11 CCTV Evening News broadcast, shortly after the camera scanned the seven Politburo Standing Committee members, at 1:47 the camera began scanning the Politburo members one by one. From right to left, the order was: Wang Yi, Shi Taifeng, Li Ganjie, Li Hongzhong, Zhang Youxia, Chen Wenqing, Chen Min’er, Huang Kunming, Wang Xiaohong. Notice that Zhang Youxia was placed in the central position.

Then the camera scanned from left to right: Yin Li, Liu Guozhong, Li Shulei, He Lifeng, Zhang Guoqing, Chen Jining, Yuan Jiajun, Liu Quan, with Ma Xingrui absent.

For comparison:

• In 2024, the Politburo scanning clip appeared at 4:09.

• In 2023, at 4:19.

• In 2022, at 4:13.

In 2024, the scan showed no special placement for Zhang Youxia. In 2023, likewise, Zhang Youxia had no special placement.

Now, CCTV broke precedent by scanning Politburo members at 1:47—much earlier—and placed Zhang Youxia in the center of the group. Whether intentional or not, this arrangement highlights Zhang’s special standing, echoing the unusual listing of “Vice Chairman of the CMC” in the written report.

3. When Xi and others entered, CCTV did not show Politburo members applauding

At the 2025 and 2024 Central Economic Work Conferences, when Xi and the other Standing Committee members entered the hall, CCTV did not show footage of Politburo members applauding. Instead, only officials in the back rows and edge seats of the first row were shown applauding.

However, in the 2023 meeting, there was footage of Politburo members applauding—including Zhang Youxia.

Is this avoidance meant to prevent the public from noticing Zhang Youxia’s lack of enthusiastic clapping? There have been precedents in this regard.

These abnormal reports once again demonstrate that Zhang Youxia’s status within the CCP and the military is indeed as rumored. The loss of Xi Jinping’s control over the military and the weakening of his political power are undeniable facts. Yet Xi standing on stage, still able to act calmly while facing Zhang Youxia directly below him, is indeed remarkable.

(People News exclusive)