Recently, overseas social media platforms have circulated news that General Li Qiaoming, commander of the People’s Liberation Army of the Chinese Communist Party, has been arrested. Speculations about his political affiliations have been circulating online. Some political analysts say that regardless of which faction Li Qiaoming belongs to, this event once again highlights the increasingly public nature of the CCP’s purges and internal power struggles within the military.
The news circulating on social media platform X indicates that Li Qiaoming, commander of the PLA, has been dismissed, and the power struggle between CCP leader Xi Jinping and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia has intensified to a critical point.
According to the news, the specific details are unclear, but there are two main theories circulating. One theory suggests that Li Qiaoming is a close ally of Zhang Youxia, and Xi Jinping, in an attempt to regain military authority, has decided to remove Zhang Youxia’s trusted deputy. The other theory suggests that Li Qiaoming has been won over by Xi Jinping, betraying Zhang Youxia, leading to his removal.
The news states: “Regardless of the situation, it indicates that after Xi’s stroke caused him to lose military authority at the Third Plenary Session, he is now actively planning a comeback, trying to regain military control. If Zhang Youxia cannot decisively defeat Xi Jinping, then the fate awaiting him will be similar to that of Li Keqiang and Prigozhin.”
Li Keqiang, former Premier of the CCP, passed away suddenly at the end of October 2023, shocking the international community. Following the incident, analysts on social media platform X suggested that Li Keqiang may have died due to a political assassination, with implications linking the event to Xi Jinping.
Prigozhin was a close ally of Russian President Putin, and his private military contractor group, the Wagner Group, played a key role in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. However, Prigozhin initiated a coup in June 2023, which led to a confrontation with Moscow and a falling out with Putin. In August of the same year, Prigozhin died in a mysterious plane crash. The Kremlin vehemently denied any involvement in the incident, but reports suggest that it may have been a meticulously planned assassination orchestrated by Putin’s confidants.
On December 18, 2024, the PLA convened a meeting announcing that General Li Qiaoming, Political Director Zhao Lei, and Equipment Minister Zou Geyin were dismissed and under investigation due to their involvement in the Miao Hua case.
In November, the CCP officially announced that General Miao Hua, a member of the Central Military Commission and Director of the Military Commission’s Political Work Department, had been placed under “investigation.” Analysts believe that there are many uncertainties behind Miao Hua’s dismissal, with doubts about whether Xi Jinping or Zhang Youxia is the mastermind behind the incident, which remains unconfirmed.
On December 23, in an interview with Epoch Times, political commentator Tang Jingyuan in the United States stated that the CCP’s political maneuvering has always been like a black box, making it difficult for external parties to confirm messages regarding internal power struggles. Li Qiaoming’s current situation could involve being investigated, interrogated, suspended, or relocated, but in any case, the likelihood of him being in trouble remains high.
Tang Jingyuan analyzed that it is difficult to accurately determine whether Li Qiaoming belongs to Xi Jinping’s camp or Zhang Youxia’s camp. Previously, Zhang Youxia was seen as an ally of Xi Jinping, helping Xi consolidate military authority. However, after Xi Jinping established his “core” status, he began purging senior military leaders who held differing views, including former Defense Ministers Wei Feng and Li Shangfu, as well as multiple cases involving the Rocket Forces. These actions led to a gradual rift between Xi Jinping and Zhang Youxia. In this context, the generals promoted by both individuals had to make a choice, and Li Qiaoming might be a prime example of this situation.
Tang Jingyuan believes that the relationship between Xi Jinping and Zhang Youxia has become extremely confrontational. He stated that if Li Qiaoming did indeed face trouble, it would indicate that the internal struggle within the CCP for military authority has entered a heated phase, possibly becoming more transparent.
He said that previously, the Rocket Forces and the Strategic Support Forces were the main targets of Xi Jinping’s purges, and later the purge extended to the Navy, marked by Miao Hua’s downfall due to his naval background. Now, the scope of the purges has begun to expand to the Army.
Tang Jingyuan pointed out that there is a trend of comprehensive purges within different branches of the CCP’s military, which appears to be more directed towards Xi’s camp. With Xi Jinping’s military power diminished, actual authority may be more in the hands of Zhang Youxia. In this context, Zhang Youxia is likely to take systematic and planned actions to purge the Xi faction’s leaders.
He also stated that if Li Qiaoming indeed faced trouble, this event would have a chain effect, and senior leaders from other military branches may realize that this purge targets Xi’s faction directly. Generals previously promoted and trusted by Xi Jinping faced two choices: resist and risk being purged, or “jump ship” to protect themselves.
Tang Jingyuan believes this signifies that in the future, the CCP’s internal purges and power struggles within the military are intensifying and gradually becoming more open.
Public information indicates that Li Qiaoming was born in April 1961 in Yan Shi, Henan province, and served in the former Guangzhou Military Region for a long time. In 2010, he became the Chief of Staff of the 41st Group Army of the former Guangzhou Military Region, and in 2013, he was promoted to become the Military Commander of the 41st Group Army, entering the official military rank. He was promoted to Major General in 2011.
After the military reforms of the CCP, in early 2016, Li Qiaoming, then 55 years old, moved from the 41st Group Army stationed in Liuzhou, Guangxi, to Jinan, Shandong, as the first Army Commander of the Northern Theater Command, reaching the rank of Deputy Theater Commander.
It is noteworthy that Li Qiaoming served as the Army Commander of the Northern Theater Command for only a year and a half before being promoted to the Commander of the Northern Theater Command, succeeding General Song Puxuan, who transferred to become the Minister of Logistics Support. Li Qiaoming became the second Commander of this theater. In July 2017, Li Qiaoming was promoted to Lieutenant General.
According to CCP’s convention, when military theater Commanders of land, sea, and air forces are promoted to regional commanders, they generally undergo cross-theater promotions. However, Li Qiaoming’s promotion broke this practice and set a precedent by directly ascending from Army Commander of the Theater Command to the regional Commander.
During the CCP’s 70th anniversary military parade in October 2019, Li Qiaoming and other representatives from their respective theaters served as the Commanders of the Flag Square teams. In December of the same year, Li Qiaoming was promoted to General.
In September 2022, the newly appointed Commander of the Northern Theater Command, Wang Qiang, was promoted to Air Force General. This meant that after five years as the Commander of the Northern Theater Command, Li Qiaoming stepped down, setting a record for the longest tenure as a theater Commander.
On October 22, 2022, Li Qiaoming became a member of the CCP’s Central Committee at the 20th Party Congress.
On the first working day of 2023, the PLA held its annual training mobilization conference, during which Army Commander Li Qiaoming delivered a speech. This confirmed that Li Qiaoming had assumed the position of the Commander of the PLA’s ground forces.
Li Qiaoming’s last official appearance in media reports was in August of this year, when he led a PLA delegation to visit Russia to discuss bilateral military cooperation. Recently, Epoch Times journalists searched for “Li Qiaoming” on the official website of the CCP’s Ministry of National Defense and found no relevant information.