The following information was released by Canada-based writer Sheng Xue . She said that on January 19, a friend of hers, identified as Mr. X, informed her that Zhang Youxia had been arrested and that something major might have happened within the CCP. At the time, she was too busy to publish the information.

Below is the content of today’s phone conversation between Mr. X and Sheng Xue:

Mr. X:

Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were preparing to move against Xi Jinping on the evening of January 18, 2026, Beijing time. That day, Xi Jinping was planning to stay at the Jingxi Hotel in western Beijing. In recent years, Xi has had no fixed residence—he changes locations every few days.

Sheng Xue:

Let me write this down. Please hold on a moment.

Mr. X:

Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli planned to arrest Xi Jinping, with the operation scheduled for the evening of January 18. 

However, the plan was leaked two hours before the action. Xi was at the Jingxi Hotel that day. They believed it would be easier to capture him there, since Xi often stays at the Jingxi Hotel and then moves to Zhongnanhai or other locations. He rarely stays in one place for two consecutive nights. Online speculation later suggested that Xi deliberately used this as bait to draw Zhang Youxia out—and that interpretation is partly correct.

After receiving the tip-off two hours in advance, Xi immediately left the Jingxi Hotel and quietly arranged counter-arrest operations.

Zhang Youxia’s side did not know the information had already been leaked to Xi and proceeded as planned, dispatching advance personnel. A gunfight broke out at the Jingxi Hotel between Zhang’s people, who had already arrived, and forces arranged by Xi. Nine of Xi’s personal security guards were killed, while dozens of Zhang Youxia’s people were killed.

Sheng Xue:

Where were Zhang’s people at the time? Were they deployed in one location or stationed separately?

Mr. X:

That wasn’t told to me. But the key issue is that Xi was staying there, and troops had also been deployed. Because Xi often stays at the Jingxi Hotel and then suddenly moves elsewhere, it’s hard to pin him down in one place.

Sheng Xue:

Is it possible that Xi had already planted people around Zhang Youxia, so he received intelligence two hours before the operation? Or was it someone who initially planned to act with Zhang but changed their mind and betrayed him at the last minute?

Mr. X:

All I know is that after Xi learned about it two hours in advance, he immediately moved to arrest Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli. Their family members were also all detained at the first opportunity.

Sheng Xue:

Since this was such a large-scale and extremely dangerous operation, why didn’t they make arrangements for their families?

Mr. X:

Zhang and Liu believed the operation would succeed. And whether or not they protected their families didn’t really matter. If they had made arrangements in advance, it would have exposed the operation. Besides, Xi had already planted numerous informants around their families anyway.

Sheng Xue:

How long had Zhang and Liu been preparing?

X:

I don’t know. But Xi only released information to the outside after he had fully dealt with the rebellion. Didn’t I tell you a few days ago that the sudden arrests of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli meant something big had happened? At that time, you were attending a conference in Ottawa.

Sheng Xue:

Yes, I was very busy then.

Mr. X:

What I heard is that this incident badly frightened Xi. His mother and sister were informed and were also terrified. They are staying at the Shenzhen Guesthouse. Security measures were immediately stepped up, and the entire guesthouse is now under lockdown, with heavy guard outside.

Sheng Xue:

What drove Zhang Youxia to rebel?

X:

He was likely forced into it. Xi Jinping has been continuously purging people—no one can remain genuinely loyal to him anymore.

Sheng Xue:

So this becomes a vicious cycle. Xi is extremely suspicious and narrow-minded, trusting no one. People around him live in constant fear. The more fearful they are, the more cautious they become; the more cautious they appear, the more abnormal they seem—and the easier it is for something to go wrong. 

Moreover, the CCP system is essentially a black box, so everyone is constantly scheming against and guarding against one another.

Mr. X:

Exactly. On top of that, foreign media and influential self-media figures speculate endlessly about Zhang Youxia, which only fuels Xi’s suspicions.

Sheng Xue:

That’s why Zhang Youxia increasingly felt his life was in danger—especially since within the Central Military Commission, He Weidong, Miao Hua, and Li Shangfu had already been taken down one after another.

X:

Did you notice how harsh the wording was in the central announcement?

Sheng Xue:

This time is different from before. The authorities issued a notice very quickly, showing that Xi wants to use public opinion to suppress anyone harboring dissent and warn them not to act rashly. How many times has there been an attempt to assassinate Xi now?

Mr. X:

There were reportedly three before; this would be the fourth. In 2013, Zhou Yongkang allegedly sent an assassin to kill Xi, but the attempt failed. Xi’s close bodyguard was killed, and a bullet grazed Xi’s leg. After that, Xi disappeared from public view for about twenty days. That incident was followed by the final arrest of Zhou Yongkang and his son.

Sheng Xue:

I’ve searched for information, and there are several different versions of that story.

Mr. X:

I think Xi now faces two possibilities. One is that he clings to power until death—he may even dismantle the Central Military Commission next. The other is that he steps down quickly. Either way, Xi’s family has been badly shaken and may persuade him not to continue.

Sheng Xue:

Xi Jinping’s methods of internal purges are exactly the same as Mao Zedong’s.

Mr. X:

Yes. Look at how Mao dealt with Peng Dehuai back then. Mao first solicited opinions. Peng Dehuai wrote him a private letter criticizing the Great Leap Forward and the People’s Communes. Mao initially appeared calm, but at the full meeting on July 23, he suddenly launched a counterattack with a long speech, accusing Peng’s letter of being an attack on the Party.

Sheng Xue:

This incident must have hit Xi very hard and may lead to major changes within the CCP—either even greater centralization and brutality, or Xi collapsing due to psychological, mental, or physical reasons.

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