Visiting with the PLA
Lots in 2016 and 2024, but not so much in 2025 or this year so far
When Commander in Chief Xi Jinping (习近平) is out in the country visiting his people, he often pops in to see the troops. The nice people at Xinhua et al. ensure that it’s possible to track who he’s visiting.
2016 was his busiest PLA schedule yet. He’d just signed off on the massive PLA re-organisation in November 2015, and this was implementation year. So off he went, hitting 12 sites during the year…
January – 13th Group Army (第13集团军), Chongqing.[1] The new Western Theatre Command (西部战区), taking in Chongqing and Chengdu, was just about to be established, with its HQ in Chengdu (replacing the Chengdu Military Region). So perhaps this was a “smoothing feathers” trip and/or maybe there was still some Bo Xilai (薄熙来) poison to eliminate too?
In February Xi visited Nanchang, Jiangxi, and popped in to see the troops.[2]
Then in March he visited the National Defense University (国防大学) in Beijing, where all the future PLA talent studies – and who were presumably running the education campaign around the new organisational structure.[3]
In April 2016, Xi donned fatigues and met the troops at the newly-established CMC Joint Operations Center (北京军委联合作战指挥中心) in Beijing.[4]
Back in Mao suit, in April Xi was in Hefei, Anhui, and popped in to a nearby base.[5]
Ditto in May, at the Heilongjiang Military District Border Defence Regiment.[6]
Short-sleeved for the Beijing summer (but no Beijing-bikini ;-)), in July Xi visited the PLA’s new Army HQ (陆军机关), again in Beijing. It had previously been part of the General Staff Office.[7]
In August it was a brief stop in Qinghai.[8]
And in August Xi visited the Strategic Support Force (战略支援部队) HQ, newly established in late 2015, again in Beijing.[9]
In September it was time for the Rocket Force (火箭军) HQ in Beijing, also newly established in the re-org.[10]
In October 2016, it was time for the Military-Civilian Integration exhibition.[11] Yes, here you can spot Zhang Youxia (张又侠) on the left. He organized the event as the head of the Equipment Development Dept (装备发展部), and was a CMC member at the time. On the right there is Fan Changlong (范长龙), one of the CMC vice chairs, who seems to have since been disciplined, but much more quietly.
And finally, in December Xi, and the rest of the Standing Committee, were excited to meet their Shenzhou-11 team.[12]Of course, the space program, managed by the China Manned Space Agency (中国载人航天工程办公室), sits under the CMC, Jinquan, the launch centre, is a military facility and our brave taikangnauts are all PLA officers.
The pace of visits calmed down after that, but during the COVID years Xi was still hitting 4-5 PLA sites a year.
And then 2024 was another big year; the Commander in Chief made 11 PLA visits through the year, including to the Information Support Force (信息支援部队), i.e. Cyber Command, and the Rocket Force Brigade (火箭军) in Anhui. That was the year Defense Ministers Wei Fenghe (魏凤和) and Li Shangfu (李尚福) went down, as well as Rocket Force commander Li Yuchao (李玉超) and Sun Jinming (孙金明), its former chief of staff.
Surprisingly, though, despite the purge-chaos of 2025, it was not a big visit year for Xi (only four visits reported). Here’s an illuminating chart from Bonny Lin and other excellent people at CSIS.[13]
And this year, so far as we know, Xi has not visited the PLA yet. I put that down (post hoc rationalisation in-coming!) to some combination of confidence that the armed forces, for all the rot, is his to command and, second, he did not want to tip General Zhang off that he was coming for him. Shock and awe, baby.
I’d assume that as new commanders are appointed, another round of intensive visits will come – and that will be a sign that the rebuilding has begun. But given the scale of the purges that could take some time.
[1] ‘习近平：深入推进政治建军改革强军依法治军 坚定信心狠抓落实开创强军兴军新局面 [Xi Jinping: Deepen the Reform of Building a Politically Strong Military, Strengthening the Military, and Governing the Military According to Law; Strengthen Confidence, Vigorously Implement Policies, and Create a New Situation for Building a Strong Military.]’, People’s Daily Online [人民网], 8 January 2016, https://archive.ph/9Qlk0, http://jhsjk.people.cn/article/28027496.
[2] ‘习近平春节前夕赴江西看望慰问广大干部群众 [Xi Jinping Visited Jiangxi Province to Extend His Greetings and Best Wishes to the Cadres and the Masses on the Eve of the Spring Festival.]’, People’s Daily Online [人民网], 4 February 2016, https://archive.ph/C793I, http://jhsjk.people.cn/article/28109432.
[3] ‘习近平在视察国防大学时强调：围绕实现强军目标推进军队院校改革创新 为实现中国梦强军梦提供人才和智力支持 [During His Inspection of the National Defense University, Xi Jinping Emphasized: We Must Advance the Reform and Innovation of Military Academies to Achieve the Goal of Building a Strong Military, and Provide Talent and Intellectual Support for Realizing the Chinese Dream and the Dream of a Strong Military.]’, People’s Daily Online [人民网], 24 March 2016, https://archive.ph/0iP3K, http://jhsjk.people.cn/article/28222252.
[4] ‘习近平：加快构建具有我军特色的联合作战指挥体系 [Xi Jinping: Accelerate the Construction of a Joint Operations Command System with Chinese Military Characteristics]’, People’s Daily Online [人民网], 20 April 2016, https://archive.ph/r9lpR, http://jhsjk.people.cn/article/28291968.
[5] ‘习近平：全面落实“十三五”规划纲要 加强改革创新开创发展新局面 [Xi Jinping: Fully Implement the 13th Five-Year Plan Outline, Strengthen Reform and Innovation to Create a New Landscape for Development.]’, People’s Daily Online [人民网], 28 April 2016, https://archive.ph/uLNAM, http://jhsjk.people.cn/article/28310052.
[6] 习近平：围绕实现党在新形势下的强军目标 推动基层建设全面进步全面过硬 [Xi Jinping: To Achieve the Party’s Goal of Building a Strong Military under the New Circumstances, We Must Promote Comprehensive Progress and Excellence in Grassroots Development.], 27 May 2016, https://archive.ph/FFJAE#selection-79.0-79.34, http://jhsjk.people.cn/article/28383386.
[7] ‘习近平：努力建设一支强大的现代化新型陆军 [Xi Jinping: Strive to Build a Powerful, Modern, and New Type of Army]’, People’s Daily Online [人民网], 27 July 2016, https://archive.ph/lrOVR, http://jhsjk.people.cn/article/28590205.
[8] ‘习近平在青海考察时强调：尊重自然顺应自然保护自然 坚决筑牢国家生态安全屏障 [During His Inspection Tour in Qinghai, Xi Jinping Emphasized: Respect Nature, Follow Nature, and Protect Nature; Resolutely Build a Solid National Ecological Security Barrier.]’, People’s Daily Online [人民网], 25 August 2016, https://archive.ph/iemd1, http://jhsjk.people.cn/article/28663535.
[9] ‘习近平：努力建设一支强大的现代化战略支援部队 [Xi Jinping: Strive to Build a Powerful and Modern Strategic Support Force]’, People’s Daily Online [人民网], 30 August 2016, https://archive.ph/Hgz2w, https://jhsjk.people.cn/article/28675231.
[10] ‘习近平：牢记历史使命 提升战略能力 努力建设一支强大的现代化火箭军 [Xi Jinping: Bear in Mind Our Historical Mission, Enhance Our Strategic Capabilities, and Strive to Build a Powerful and Modern Rocket Force.]’, People’s Daily Online [人民网], 27 September 2016, https://archive.ph/fdMCb, http://jhsjk.people.cn/article/28742359.
[11] ‘习近平：加快形成军民深度融合发展格局 [Xi Jinping: Accelerate the Formation of a Pattern of Deep Integration of Military and Civilian Development]’, People’s Daily Online [人民网], 19 October 2016, https://archive.ph/aM439, http://jhsjk.people.cn/article/28792040.
[12] ‘习近平：努力建设航天强国和世界科技强国 [Xi Jinping: Strive to Build a Space Power and a World-Class Science and Technology Power]’, People’s Daily Online [人民网], 20 December 2016, https://archive.ph/MjZm7, http://jhsjk.people.cn/article/28964280.
[13] Bonny Lin et al., The Purges Within China’s Military Are Even Deeper Than You Think, 24 February 2026, https://chinapower.csis.org/china-pla-military-purges/.