Apple Daily UK

Xi’s Loyalty Purge Reaches Deep Into China’s Military

After a sweeping purge of generals, Xi Jinping demands absolute obedience from a shaken armed forces The General Who Was Too Loyal Until He Wasn't In January 2026, China's military community was shaken by the removal of General Zhang Youxia, the highest-ranking officer in the People's Liberation Army and a man long considered one of Xi Jinping's most trusted lieutenants. Zhang's fall sent shockwaves through the PLA's entire command structure. He was not some minor official accused of taking bribes. He was the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, second in command of all of China's armed forces, a veteran revolutionary family scion who had spent decades building his position at the absolute apex of military power. His removal sent one message with crystalline clarity: in Xi Jinping's China, no one is safe. The Loyalty Demand at the Two Sessions Meeting with a condensed delegation of PLA and People's Armed Police Force representatives at the annual National People's Congress sessions on March 7, 2026, Xi made his expectations unambiguous. State media quoted him saying there must be no one in the military who harbors disloyalty to the ruling Communist Party. He called for continuing the anti-corruption campaign with full force and demanded what he described as political rectification throughout the armed forces. The military delegation itself had been visibly…

The Silence of the Free World Has Made Hong Kong’s Nightmare Worse

Opinion: Years of insufficient response to Beijing's crackdown has emboldened authoritarian repression The Pattern of Inadequate Response Since Beijing imposed the National Security Law on Hong Kong in June 2020, the response of democratic governments and international institutions has followed a depressingly predictable pattern. Statements of concern are issued. Ambassadors are summoned. Reports are published. Resolutions are passed. And then, after a suitable interval, normal relations resume. Trade continues. Investments flow. Diplomatic channels remain open. And Beijing, observing this pattern, concludes that the costs of repression are acceptable and that the next step forward is safe. The Record of Non-Consequences Let us review what has happened in Hong Kong since 2020 and what the international response has produced in terms of changed behavior. The National Security Law was imposed. The response was statements of condemnation and some targeted visa and trade measures. The result was no change. Apple Daily was shut down. The response was statements of condemnation. The result was no change. The NSL 47 were jailed. The response was statements of condemnation. The result was no change. Article 23 was passed. The response was statements of condemnation. The result was no change. Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years. The response was statements of condemnation. One pattern is consistent throughout: the repression escalates and the international response does…