The leader of the Communist Party visits troops stationed in Kunming, rare for a member of the Military Commission to not accompany him.

Recently, amid the negative news spreading within the Chinese Communist Party’s military, party leader Xi Jinping met with representatives of the Kunming garrison in Kunming. What was unusual about Xi’s visit this time was that none of the members of the Military Commission accompanied him. Reports suggest that Vice Chairman of the Military Commission He Weidong is rumored to be under investigation, while another Vice Chairman, Zhang Youxia, has been continuously rumored to be in a power struggle with Xi.

According to reports from China’s Central Television Network, on the morning of March 20, 2025, Xi Jinping, who was inspecting Yunnan, met with senior officers above the rank of colonel from the Kunming garrison and representatives of grassroots exemplary individuals and civilian personnel.

Footage from CCTV showed Southern Theater Commander Wu Yanan attending the meeting, while the only person accompanying Xi was Lieutenant General Fang Yongxiang, who is believed to have replaced Zhong Shaomeng as the Director of the General Office of the Central Military Commission.

Looking back at previous official reports from the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping almost always inspects a military camp whenever he visits a domestic location, and there is usually at least one Vice Chairman of the Military Commission accompanying him.

For example, before the Lunar New Year on January 28, 2022, Xi Jinping inspected the Central Theater Command, accompanied by Xu Qiliang, Zhang Youxia, Wei Fenghe, Li Zuocheng, Miao Hua, and Zhang Shengmin.

In July 2013, Xi Jinping inspected the Inner Mongolia Military Region with He Weidong accompanying him.

Xi Jinping’s visit to inspect the Kunming garrison this time marks the third time in the past ten years based on publicly available reports.

In January 2015, Xi Jinping inspected the 14th Group Army and the Second Artillery Corps base stationed in Kunming. The 14th Group Army, with a historical connection to senior CCP figure Bo Yibo, has been linked to the political upheaval involving Bo Xilai in the past.

In January 2020, shortly after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi Jinping revisited Kunming after five years, and also visited Dianchi Lake.

Political commentator Li Linyi told the Epoch Times that Xi Jinping’s recent visits to Guizhou and Yunnan have coincided with signs of crisis, particularly evident in online videos showing him looking tired and aged. This could be related to the unrest among the senior military leadership.

On March 13, former Chinese media figure Zhao Lanjian, now residing in the United States, revealed on social media that the third-ranking figure in the Chinese military and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, He Weidong, was taken away for investigation on March 11, after the National People’s Congress concluded. It is said that his residences in Beijing and Shanghai were both searched.

Although the news has not been confirmed by the Chinese authorities, He Weidong’s absence from the symposium on the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the “Anti-Secession Law” held in Beijing on March 14 further fueled speculation. He Weidong is considered a leader within the Fuzhou faction in the military and has long been an important member of Xi Jinping’s core circle in the military, having previously served as Commander of the Eastern Theater Command directly overseeing naval affairs.

On the other hand, rumors have been circulating since last year regarding another Vice Chairman of the Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, wielding actual military power, challenging Xi Jinping’s authority, but this has not been confirmed.

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