Xi taps military ‘hatchet man’ to rebuild China’s army command

Chinese Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin attends the opening session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5. | POOL / VIA AFP-JIJI

Bloomberg

Nov 7, 2026

As Chinese leader Xi Jinping moves to rebuild a military leadership gutted by corruption purges, he’s betting that the man who oversaw the ousters can be trusted to replenish the ranks.

Zhang Shengmin, who led a sweeping corruption crackdown that sacked scores of generals in the world’s largest standing army, was promoted last week to the Communist Party’s elite Politburo. His elevation — the first made outside a congress in three decades — cemented Zhang’s authority after he this year became the only official besides Xi left on the powerful Central Military Commission.

His pick as the Politburo’s sole military member comes as Xi prepares to mark the People’s Liberation Army’s centenary in August 2027, a date by which the Chinese leader has vowed to make the armed forces more combat-ready. Ahead of that milestone and a twice-a-decade leadership reshuffle next year, Zhang is now positioned to play a central role in selecting and vetting the candidates Xi will pick from to restock the military command.

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