China Is Building a Better, More Modern Military

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s yearslong purge of the top ranks of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) culminated on Jan. 24 with the removal of his longtime top general, Zhang Youxia. Reports suggest Zhang is now being investigated for corruption and disloyalty. But his falling out with Xi may have also had to do with disagreements over military strategy. Given China’s vast military goals, any such disagreement has high stakes for the rest of the world.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s yearslong purge of the top ranks of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) culminated on Jan. 24 with the removal of his longtime top general, Zhang Youxia. Reports suggest Zhang is now being investigated for corruption and disloyalty. But his falling out with Xi may have also had to do with disagreements over military strategy. Given China’s vast military goals, any such disagreement has high stakes for the rest of the world.

What is the substance of Xi’s split with Zhang? What has Xi’s military modernization campaign achieved? And what kind of military thinker is the Chinese leader?

Those are just a few of the questions that came up in my recent conversation with FP economics columnist Adam Tooze on the podcast we co-host, Ones and Tooze. What follows is an excerpt, edited for length and clarity. For the full conversation, look for Ones and Tooze wherever you get your podcasts. And check out Adam’s Substack newsletter.

Cameron Abadi: In understanding what happened this past week, should we be taking these allegations and rumors of Zhang’s corruption and treason at face value? It seems like that would be a bit naive given the broader kind of purges taking place. If not, what is the substance of his split with Xi exactly?

Adam Tooze: I think it’s important to understand some of the organizational sociology at work. He Weidong, who was purged [in October 2025], was accused of abandoning his original mission, losing party discipline, suf