Why Xi Jinping's Firing of His Top Generals Should Worry Everyone

Summary

What is Happening in China?

China's leader Xi Jinping has been removing his top military generals. Since 2023, more than 60 senior military officials have been fired or put under investigation. This includes Zhang Youxia, who was Xi's most trusted general. In January 2026, Zhang was suddenly fired. This is very important because it shows Xi is cleaning house in the military, but in a way that could cause big problems.

Think of it like a boss who fires everyone on his team because he does not want anyone to tell him "no." It feels strong in the short term, but it is actually very dangerous.

Who is Being Fired and Why?

Zhang Youxia was 75 years old and had been a general since the Vietnam War in 1979. He was one of Xi's closest friends because their fathers—both revolutionary army leaders—had fought together. Zhang was promoted to the highest position in the military, even when he was too old to normally still work. Everyone thought Zhang was safe because he was Xi's best friend.

But on January 24, 2026, everything changed. Xi suddenly announced that Zhang was under investigation for "serious violations of discipline." The news shocked everyone, including people in China's government.

Why would Xi fire his own best friend? The official reason is corruption. The government says Zhang stole money or did something illegal. But many experts think the real reason is different. Zhang probably disagreed with Xi about what to do with Taiwan.

The Real Problem

A Boss With No One to Say "No"

Here is the important part: Zhang Youxia was one of the few generals who could tell Xi the truth. If the military was not ready to attack Taiwan, Zhang could say so. If Xi's plan was dangerous, Zhang could warn him. Zhang had decades of experience and the respect to speak his opinion.

But now Zhang is gone. In fact, 5 out of 6 top military generals that Xi appointed in 2022 have been fired or are under investigation. Only 1 loyal general remains. This means Xi now has almost complete control of the military. No one important is left to argue with him.

At first, this sounds good. A strong leader in control, right? But it is actually very dangerous. Think of it this way: if you are a doctor and your boss—who knows nothing about medicine—fires every senior doctor who tells him patients need X-rays, soon you will have no experienced doctors left. New young doctors will be afraid to tell the boss bad news. They will just agree with everything the boss wants to do. This is what is happening in China's military.

What Does This Mean for Taiwan?

Taiwan is a self-governing island that China claims as its own. Xi has said that he wants to control Taiwan. The question is: when will Xi try to take over Taiwan by force?

United States intelligence people say Xi has ordered the military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. That is the deadline.

Right now, the firing of all these generals might actually be good news for Taiwan—in the short term. With all the confusion in the military leadership, it would be hard to attack Taiwan in 2026. The new generals are not experienced yet. The military is disorganized. Training is disrupted. So Taiwan is probably safe from attack in 2026.

But experts worry about what comes next. Here is the problem: after a few years, Xi will have trained a whole new group of generals. These new generals will have one thing in common: they will never tell Xi "no." They will never tell Xi that an invasion plan is too risky. They will never tell Xi that the military is not ready. They will just say yes to everything.

And here is the scary part: when you have a military full of generals saying yes to everything, a leader can convince himself that any plan will work. Xi might think, "The military is ready to invade Taiwan," when actually it is not ready. And no general will be brave enough to tell him the truth.

This is what happened with Russia and Putin. Putin surrounded himself with people who agreed with him. And that is part of why he ordered the invasion of Ukraine. He believed his generals when they told him the invasion would be easy. But it was not easy. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers died.

How Did It Come to This?

Xi has been firing generals since he took power in 2012. But the recent firings are different. In the past, Xi fired generals who opposed him. But now, Xi is firing generals he himself put into power. He is also firing them very fast. In the old days, it took months between the time a general disappeared and the time the government announced he was in trouble. Now, with Zhang, it happened in 4 days. This shows Xi was in a hurry.

Why was Xi in such a hurry? Because 2026 is important. The military needs time to train together before an invasion. You cannot invade an island like Taiwan without months and months of practice. All the different parts of the military—the army, the navy, the air force—need to train together. The window for completing this training in 2026 is closing. So Xi needed to fire any generals who might oppose him before this training window closed. Xi wanted complete control before the final preparation for Taiwan.

What Will Happen Next?

Three things could happen:

First, Xi could wait. He could let the new military leaders learn their jobs and develop experience. The military would get stronger. Taiwan would become more vulnerable. But this would take years. In this case, Taiwan is probably safe for many years because the military is confused right now.

Second, Xi could get impatient. He could decide that 2027 is the year to invade, even though the military is not completely ready. His new generals will not argue with him. They will just say yes and try their best. This is the scary option. It could cause a huge war in Asia.

Third, and this is what many experts think will happen, Xi waits for a few years, builds up his new loyal military, and then becomes dangerous again around 2028-2030. The military will be stronger and more obedient. This is the worst long-term situation.

What Should the World Do?

This situation is complicated. On one hand, Xi has made the military weaker right now by firing everyone and replacing them with inexperienced generals. This makes an invasion of Taiwan less likely in 2026 and 2027. This is good news.

On the other hand, Xi has made the military more obedient. No experienced officer will tell him if his plans are too risky. This makes a big war more likely in the future.

The world should understand one thing: a leader with complete power and no one to argue with him is not stable. He is dangerous. He might make mistakes. He might invade Taiwan, and it could turn into a disaster that affects the whole world.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Xi in January 2026 looking for someone he could trust. But firing all your generals and replacing them with yes-men does not make you trustworthy. It makes you unpredictable.

Conclusion

Xi Jinping's firing of his top generals shows his power, but it also shows his weakness. He is strong enough to remove anyone he wants. But he has created a situation where no one will tell him the truth about whether the military is ready to invade Taiwan. This is dangerous. Taiwan is safer in 2026. But the world is less safe in the long term.

A strong leader with experienced advisers is usually better than a powerful leader with only yes-men. Xi chose power over wisdom. That choice will affect billions of people in the Asia-Pacific region.