Episode Overview

Podcast: American Thought Leaders
Episode Title: How Xi Jinping Broke All the CCP’s Rules | Heng He
Date: January 31, 2026
Host: Jan Jekielek
Guest: Heng He, veteran China analyst and columnist at The Epoch Times

This episode explores the extraordinary and unprecedented purge of China’s top military leadership by Xi Jinping, examining what it signals for the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) internal stability, ambitions toward Taiwan, and prospects for the Party’s future. Heng He places recent events in historical context, arguing that Xi’s break with established CCP norms may constitute a turning point for China, with potentially global implications.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Unprecedented Military Purge

• Background:

  • A sweeping purge of top Chinese military leaders, including General Zhang Yusha, a close Xi ally.
  • Of seven Central Military Commission (CMC) members, only two remain (one being Xi himself).
  • Heng He argues this has never before happened in CCP history, not even during the Cultural Revolution (00:00–00:32).

• Historical Parallels:

  • Heng He ranks this event alongside the most significant internal ruptures in CCP history:
    • 1962: Post-Great Leap Forward power shift
    • Cultural Revolution: Lin Biao’s purge
    • 1976: Fall of the Gang of Four
    • 1989: Purge of Zhao Ziyang after Tiananmen (01:32–04:05)

• Quote:

  “We are witnessing the turning point of the Chinese Communist Party rule.”
  — Heng He (01:34)

2. Xi’s Actions as a “Coup” – Breaking All the Rules

• Illegal Procedure:

  • Xi’s purge violated both official and “hidden” CCP rules.
  • Dismissals were not project-managed through normal Party processes; no Central Committee or CMC meetings authorized the move.
  • Heng He interprets this as a de facto coup.
    (06:07–10:22)

• Quote:

  “What Xi Jinping did was against every single rule, even the hidden rule… That’s why I said this is a coup. It’s very illegal.”
  — Heng He (06:44–10:22)

• System Consequences:

  • The core CCP “chain of command” has been shattered, leaving functionaries and officers uncertain whom to obey.
  • “Now nobody knows who to trust and who is the one you should follow. That’s a big problem.” (10:56)
  • This uncertainty extends from the military to the broader bureaucracy.

3. The State of China’s Military and Implications for Taiwan

• Loss of Professional Leadership:

  • Five of seven top military leaders purged, including the two with most real combat experience (Zhang Yusha, Liu Zhengli).
  • Those remaining—Xi himself and a newly promoted commissar—lack military expertise (24:48–28:03).

• Xi’s Ambition vs. Military Reality:

  • Xi wants to cement his legacy by making China “strong,” with Taiwan as his focus.
  • Purged generals reportedly advised against war with Taiwan, seeing China as unready.
  • The lack of experienced leadership weakens the military’s war-fighting capability and increases unpredictability.
  • The military’s primary design is to protect the Party, not to conduct foreign campaigns (15:53–19:37).

• Quote:

  “Now, amateur replaced professional. So it’s more dangerous… There will be more chance to have uncontrolled conflict, but not necessarily a strong military power to win the war.”
  — Heng He (24:48–28:03)

4. Systemic Instability, Parallels to Soviet Collapse

• Internal Paralysis:

  • After repeated purges, officials and officers increasingly “lay down” (perform minimally or not at all) to avoid risk, further paralyzing state function (30:25–33:16).

• Collapse Analogies:

  • Similar to the Soviet Union’s fate: “Soviet Union collapsed not because they didn’t have a strong military, it’s because the system collapsed. Now Xi Jinping faces the same situation.” (30:25–33:16)

• Xi’s Pyrrhic “Consolidation”:

  • Xi holds more power than ever, but the machinery that actualizes authority is broken.

5. Misleading Western Narratives & CCP’s True Priorities

• No “Nuclear Secrets” Betrayed:

  • Rumors about Zhang Yusha leaking nuclear secrets are dismissed. The real issue is political conflict and Xi’s insecurity, not espionage or corruption (20:18–22:52).

• Use of Western Media:

  • Leaks about “espionage” are a deliberate smokescreen to justify Xi’s moves as legal or necessary.

• Nature of the CCP:

  • The Party’s supreme priority is its own survival, not society’s needs or international norms:

    “The supremacy of the Communist Party is really the absolute top priority of the system, even beyond the basics of human life and dignity.”
    — Jan Jekielek (40:10)

  • CCP is described as an abnormal regime, unsuitable for negotiation or cooperation with democratic governments (37:50–40:10).

6. Recommendations for the U.S. and the West

• Pragmatic Approach:

  • The current path—recognizing the CCP cannot change or act like a normal regime—is correct.
  • Don’t treat the CCP as a normal government or negotiation partner (37:50–40:10).

• Quote:

  “You cannot expect Communist Party, CCP or Xi Jinping as a normal leader or a normal regime... just know exactly who you are dealing with.”
  — Heng He (37:50)

7. The Road Ahead for China

• Xi’s Actions as Self-Destructive:

  • Xi’s unprecedented purges may signal not success but failure—a system beginning to unravel.
  • Comparisons are drawn to Mao Zedong’s late purges, which hastened his decline and the end of the Cultural Revolution.

• Preparation for Post-CCP China:

  “We should prepare for China without communist rule… This is a better way for the preparation to ready for the big change in China.”
  — Heng He (44:07–45:56)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the scale of the purge:

  “This never happened in history of the communist rule. Even during the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong didn't really purge the high rank officials in the military.”
  — Heng He (00:10)

• On broken trust within the system:

  “Even if you follow Xi Jinping, you still will be purged. So the hidden rule is broken. I think that will be the end of the whole system.”
  — Heng He (10:56)

• Historical analogy:

  “Soviet Union collapsed is not because they don't have strong military. It's because the system collapsed. Now Xi Jinping faces the same situation.”
  — Heng He (00:49, 30:25)

• On CCP priorities:

  “The supremacy of the Communist Party is really the absolute top priority of the system, even beyond the basics of human life and dignity and things of this nature.”
  — Jan Jekielek (40:10)

• Final warning:

  “This is not the success of Xi Jinping... It's a failure. If you purge everybody you promoted, that means it's your failure... We are witness to the turning point of history.”
  — Heng He (44:07)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00–01:32 – Unprecedented military purge overview
• 01:32–04:05 – Historical context: other major CCP crises
• 04:30–10:22 – Explanation of the illegal procedure and coup characterization
• 10:22–15:53 – Systemic consequences; breakdown of command and trust
• 15:53–19:37 – Implications for China’s military and Taiwan policy
• 20:18–22:52 – Refuting Western narratives about espionage
• 24:48–28:03 – Loss of professional military leadership and increased danger
• 30:25–33:16 – Rise of official “laying flat” and systemic inertia
• 37:50–40:10 – Advice for U.S. strategy & non-normalcy of CCP
• 44:07–45:56 – Xi's purge indicates systemic failure, not consolidation

Final Thoughts

This conversation delivers a gripping, forward-looking analysis of the CCP’s inner turmoil. Xi Jinping’s extraordinary break with Party tradition, the destruction of command structures, and the purging of trusted allies are painted not as signs of strength but as harbingers of chaos and possibly collapse. Heng He urges observers and policymakers to recognize the uniqueness of the CCP system—and to begin preparing for the possibility of profound change in China.