Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
Something big is going to happen in Zhongnanhai
Report by : Wang Youqun / Editor : Zhongkang / Source : Epoch Times / https://www.aboluowang.com/2025/0318/2191359.html / Image : On 4 March 2025, Zhang Youxia and He Weidong at the opening ceremony of the CPPCC meeting. (Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images)
Recently, some media people who have close ties with people in the CCP system have successively reported overseas that more high-ranking figures in the CCP military have been arrested.
Although these news have not been confirmed by the CCP authorities, from the experience of recent years, rumors about the dark side of the CCP’s internal struggles are often far ahead of predictions. Since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the internal struggles at the top have continued. Perhaps now this internal struggle has escalated again, and something big has happened in Zhongnanhai again.
Has He Weidong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, been arrested?
On 13 March 2025, Zhao Lanjian, a former Chinese media person living in the United States, released an "exclusive revelation" on the X platform: "According to authoritative sources, He Weidong, a member of the 20th CPC Central Political Bureau and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, was taken away on the spot when he returned to the (August 1) building after the (closing) meeting of the (National) Congress on the 11th! At present, (He Weidong's) residences in Beijing and Shanghai have been searched, and the situation is extremely tense."
"He Weidong has long been an important member of Xi Jinping's core circle in the military. He was the commander of the Eastern Theater Command and was directly responsible for Taiwan Strait affairs. He has great influence in the party and the military. This sudden incident indicates that the Chinese military may usher in a high-level shock again!"
On 14 March 2025, Zhao Lanjian broke the news again: "The news that Vice Chairman of the Military Commission He Weidong was arrested has been confirmed by a second channel."
On 15 March 2025, independent commentator Cai Shenkun said in a self-media program that he was not sure whether Zhao Lanjian's revelation was true, but a friend in China gave him a hint through voice, saying that He Weidong's accident was true, and the top leaders of the military also conveyed it. The friend also told him about the arrest of Li Shangfu and Miao Hua.
On 14 March 2025, the CCP held a symposium in Beijing on the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the "Anti-Secession Law". Those attending the symposium included: Zhao Leji, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CCP and Chairman of the National People's Congress, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CCP and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shi Taifeng, member of the Political Bureau of the CCP, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and Minister of the Central United Front Work Department, Wang Xiaohong, Secretary of the Central Secretariat, State Councilor, and Minister of Public Security, and Liu Zhenli, member of the Central Military Commission and Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Department of the Military Commission.
The specifications of this meeting are relatively high, and it is a political declaration against the so-called "Taiwan independence". According to common sense, He Weidong, member of the Political Bureau of the CCP and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, should attend, but He Weidong did not attend.
If He Weidong was arrested, what is the reason?
Judging from the situation since the outbreak of the Rocket Force case in 2023, most of the fall of senior CCP generals was first exposed overseas and then confirmed by the CCP officials.
On 13 September 2023, Zhao Lanjian took the lead in breaking the news on the X platform that Li Shangfu, member of the Central Military Commission, State Councilor, and Minister of National Defense, was arrested on 6 September 2023. The next day, Zhao Lanjian corrected that Li Shangfu was arrested on 1 September 2023. On 27 June 2024, Xinhua News Agency reported: On 31 August 2023, the Military Commission Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission filed a case for investigation into Li Shangfu's serious violations of discipline and law. The date reported by Xinhua News Agency is one day earlier than the date of Zhao Lanjian's revelation. Because there is a one-day time difference between the United States and China, this time point basically coincides. This also proves that Zhao Lanjian's revelation about Li Shangfu's arrest is accurate.
Now, I cannot confirm whether He Weidong has been arrested. However, I think this possibility exists.
First, He Weidong's extraordinary promotion and reuse has made many people in the military dissatisfied.
He Weidong is a "dark horse" who emerged at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Why do you say that? Because he was not even a delegate to the 20th CPC National Congress, nor a member or alternate member of the 19th CPC Central Committee, but he was promoted to the 20th CPC Central Committee, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission at the First Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee.
After the founding of the Communist Party of China in 1949, the vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission were all selected from the members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and they must have the qualifications of members or alternate members of the Central Committee before that. He Weidong became the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, breaking the previous 72-year convention.
Is He Weidong a genius in the army? Has he made extraordinary achievements? No. Otherwise, how could he not even become an alternate member of the Central Committee at the 19th CPC National Congress?
According to common sense, common sense, and common sense, for retired old military leaders, such as former vice chairmen and members of the Central Military Commission, they must be dissatisfied. Why did he suddenly sit in such a high position? For active senior generals who are older, more capable, and have made more contributions than He Weidong, they must be dissatisfied. Why should he be promoted instead of me? For middle and lower-level officers who find it difficult to be promoted, they must be dissatisfied. Why did he rise to the top in one step?
Once there is a chance to drive He Weidong out of office, these people will push him down.
Second, He Weidong and Zhang Youxia are dissatisfied with their power struggle.
Zhang Youxia is the first vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, and He Weidong is the second vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.
But Zhang Youxia is much older than He Weidong. Zhang Youxia has led troops in battles; as early as the 17th CPC National Congress in 2007, Zhang Youxia was a member of the Central Committee; at the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, he was promoted to member of the Central Military Commission; at the 19th CPC National Congress, he was promoted to member of the Political Bureau of the CPC and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission; at the 20th CPC National Congress, he was re-elected as member of the Political Bureau of the CPC and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.
He Weidong has no actual combat experience and was promoted by "helicopter" at the 20th CPC National Congress.
Shortly after the 20th CPC National Congress, a major case of the Rocket Force broke out. On 26 July 2023, the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission issued the "Announcement on the Collection of Clues of Illegal and Disciplinary Violations of Equipment Procurement Bidding Review Experts of the Whole Army". The announcement requires a six-year retrospective investigation, that is, to before October 2017. Before October 2017, Zhang Youxia served as the Minister of the Equipment Development Department of the Military Commission.
The result of the retrospective investigation is that a group of Zhang Youxia's old subordinates were investigated, including Li Shangfu, who succeeded Zhang Youxia as the Minister of Equipment Development Department of the Military Commission and was later promoted and reused as a member of the Central Military Commission, State Councilor, and Minister of National Defense.
After the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the anti-corruption campaign in the military was directed at Zhang Youxia's cronies, which made Zhang Youxia very embarrassed. Under this circumstance, He Weidong, the second vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Zhang Youxia, the first vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, competed with each other.
On 8 February 2024, Xinhuanet published a report "Zhang Youxia and He Weidong visited the troops stationed in Beijing to investigate and visit and comfort the officers and soldiers." When reprinting this report, People's Daily changed the title to: "He Weidong and Zhang Youxia visited the troops stationed in Beijing to investigate and visit and comfort the officers and soldiers."
There is no problem with the title of Xinhuanet. Zhang Youxia is older than He Weidong and should have been ranked before He Weidong. However, the title of People's Daily is very abnormal. This is probably the result of manipulation by He Weidong and the people behind him.
On 5 March 2024, He Weidong attended a discussion with the military delegation and made remarks to combat the army's "false combat capability".
What is the army's "false combat capability"? He Weidong's remarks may be a reference to the various corruption issues in the military equipment development department in the procurement of arms, and the spearhead may be directed at Zhang Youxia.
But He Weidong was immediately banned as soon as he made this statement. On Xinhua News Agency, CCTV.com, China Daily, and even the only news portal of the Chinese Communist Army, "China Military Network", searching with "He Weidong" and "false combat capability" as keywords, no relevant reports were found. This may be Zhang Youxia's counterattack against He Weidong.
Third, He Weidong may be implicated in the Miao Hua case.
On 28 November 2024, the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense reported that Miao Hua, a member of the Central Military Commission and the director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission, was investigated for suspected "serious violations of discipline".
This was the news that shocked the world at the end of last year. Because Miao Hua's predecessor, Zhang Yang, the first director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission after Xi's military reform in 2015, hanged himself at home on November 23, 2017, during the investigation, due to serious corruption. Now, Miao Hua is under investigation for "serious violations of discipline". People at home and abroad are very shocked by the corruption of senior generals in the Chinese Communist Army.
Because Miao Hua's position in the military is very critical, he is the main operator of Xi's "political construction of the army", the most important assistant to Xi in selecting and appointing senior generals in the army, and the "chief political commissar among political commissars" in the military who is responsible for supervising military leaders. After Miao Hua's fall, a group of senior generals may be implicated.
Miao Hua and He Weidong have both worked in the 31st Group Army. Miao Hua was the director of the Political Department of the 31st Group Army, and He Weidong was the chief of staff and deputy commander of the 31st Group Army.
After Miao Hua became the director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission in August 2017, He Weidong was promoted to commander of the Eastern Theater Command in 2019. Miao Hua was responsible for the investigation of He Weidong's promotion this time. Did He Weidong give money to Miao Hua?
In the 20th Central Military Commission, He Weidong, the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission in charge of political work, became Miao Hua's immediate superior.
As a member of the 20th Central Military Commission and director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission, Miao Hua continued to be responsible for the selection and appointment of senior military generals. The scope of selection and appointment includes the military and political leaders of the 15 departments of the Military Commission, the five major war zones, the major services, the armed police forces, and military academies. Among those senior generals who want to be promoted and reused, many may have given money to Miao Hua, and may have given money to He Weidong through Miao Hua.
After Miao Hua was arrested, it was reported that some senior generals who were closely related to him were investigated, including: Qin Shutong (General), the former political commissar of the Army, Yuan Huazhi (General), the current political commissar of the Navy, and Wang Chunning (General), the commander of the armed police.
After the Miao Hua case, he may have confessed He Weidong.
Fourth, He Weidong is Xi Jinping's "first confidant in the military".
He Weidong, who was not even a delegate to the 20th CPC National Congress, became a member of the 20th CPC Central Committee, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, all thanks to Xi Jinping's personal promotion and reuse. Without Xi Jinping, there would be no He Weidong today.
Xi Jinping has promoted and reused many senior officials in an exceptional manner. There is no second person like He Weidong who has risen to the top in one step. So some people say that he is Xi Jinping's "first confidant in the military".
Qin Gang is the youngest party and state leader promoted and reused by Xi Jinping himself - a member of the Central Committee, a state councilor, and a foreign minister.
Qin Gang's rise from the vice-ministerial-level Chinese ambassador to the United States to the ministerial-level Chinese foreign minister to the vice-state-level state councilor is also a "three-step jump", but it was not completed at one time. Instead, he was promoted and reused by Xi as foreign minister in December 2022 and as state councilor in March 2023.
Miao Hua is considered to be Xi's "confidant among confidants". But Xi's promotion and reuse of Miao Hua was not done all at once. Miao Hua was promoted and reused by Xi as the director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission in August 2017, and was promoted and reused by Xi as a member of the Central Military Commission at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October 2017. He was re-elected as a member of the Central Military Commission at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October 2022.
If nothing unexpected happens, Miao Hua is likely to be promoted and reused by Xi as a member of the next Politburo of the Communist Party of China and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.
Miao Hua's sudden fall from power in November last year is a major blow to Xi.
If He Weidong is really arrested now, it will be a huge blow to Xi.
Since Xi Jinping took down a group of senior generals such as Zhang Youxia's confidant Li Shangfu in 2023, the internal struggle between Xi and Zhang has been staged in the Chinese Communist Army. During and after the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in July 2024, due to Xi's sudden illness, the internal struggle between Zhang and Xi reached a climax. Some of Xi's trusted people in the military have been transferred, such as Xi's military secretary Zhong Shaojun, or arrested, such as Miao Hua, Xi's "trusted among trusted people". Xi's military power has been weakened.
Now there is news that He Weidong has been arrested. If true, this may be another climax of the struggle between Xi and Zhang.
Conclusion
Since Xi Jinping came to power, he has been grasping military power. However, until now, Xi has not been able to truly control military power.
Xi has been purging political enemies by fighting corruption. In the more than 12 years since Xi came to power, more than 720 senior officials at the vice-provincial and ministerial level and other central management cadres have been investigated, including more than 200 senior military generals. Xi has offended too many senior officials. In addition, Xi's domestic and foreign affairs have been a mess, and there are many people who oppose Xi in the Communist Party and the military.
If He Weidong is really arrested this time, Xi's military power will be further weakened, and Xi's future will be very bad.
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