Chinese President Xi Jinping and Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin, bottom right, pose with newly promoted generals. Xi's furious military purges might have given him a command structure of senior officers inclined to show loyalty to the Communist Party and to Xi himself. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Xinhua/AP)
Xi Jinping's loyalty drive empties out PLA's command as key meeting approaches
KATSUJI NAKAZAWA
October 15, 2026 04:00 JST