Mike Baker

By removing one of the most senior generals in the country, Xi sends an unmistakable message.

No one is beyond reach, not even those once considered part of his inner circle.

There are also strategic implications here.

China is in the midst of a rapid nuclear expansion, building new missile silos, modernizing warheads, and reshaping its deterrence posture.

Any suggestion that information about that effort may have reached U.S.

intelligence would be deeply alarming to Beijing and potentially humiliating.

At the same time, analysts caution that details remain murky.

Chinese officials have not provided evidence publicly, and independent verification is impossible given the opaque nature of the system.

But even without full confirmation, the outcome is clear.

Xiang Yousha is gone, and his removal marks one of the most significant military purges China has seen in decades.

This is a power struggle at the top of the Chinese system, one that underscores growing paranoia inside Beijing, tightening control by Xi Jinping, and rising instability within the very institution meant to secure Communist Party rule.

Coming up next, even as peace talks proceeded in Abu Dhabi over the weekend, Russia pressed its campaign against Ukrainian civilians, cutting electricity to more than one million of the civilian population.

I'll be right back.

Hey, Mike Baker here.

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