What Was the Real Reason Beijing Declared Zhang Youxia Guilty?

A deal that shook the world was struck before Xi's visit to America. General Zhang Youxia was declared guilty. But the date of the fifth plenum forces Xi to face the reckoning he fears most. What happened in Beijing before the September Trump-Xi meeting? Welcome back to Final War with Catherine Hu. On the evening of September 23rd, 2026, Xi finally arrived in the United States with his wife Peng for a state visit, just as planned. With so many questions about Xi's health, all eyes were on him. As Xi and Peng walked down the steps of the plane at Joint Base Andrews, one detail stood out. Xi's left hand was gripping Peng's tightly. You could see that Xi was supporting him, helping him walk steadily. American media will have plenty to report on what happens next. But before Xi even boarded his flight to the United States, a series of deals took place behind the scenes that could shake the world. The first question is, how did General Zhang Youxia end up being declared guilty? The Zhang Youxia case broke this February. And as I kept reporting the truth about it, my channel started getting buried and far fewer people were seeing my videos. That tells you just how important this case is to Xi faction. Just before Xi's visit to the United States, Zhang's case suddenly became a bargaining chip between Xi faction and the conservative faction. Why? The answer lies in the latest power struggle between Beijing's two centers of power, Xi faction and the faction opposing him. There's one thing you need to understand about the forces opposing Xi. They are made up of two factions. The reformists faction who control the military and the conservative faction who hold even more power inside the party. Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao are leading figures among the reformists faction. The conservative faction put the interests of China's powerful revolutionary families first. Cheng Qinghong is a key figure in that camp. And General Zhang Youxia belonged to it too. But these two factions also keep each other in check. That's the real reason Beijing's power struggle can take such sudden, unpredictable turns. As we've discussed before, Wang Xiaohong and Saiqi are Xi's two closest allies. But both have now been drawn into investigations. Over the past month, the conservative faction with Wang Yi at the forefront have also kept arranging trips abroad for Xi. Xi's camp felt they were being pushed into a corner. They feared for their own political survival. If Xi went to America, what might happen in Beijing while he was gone? What might his opponents do before he returned? And this was happening just before the 5th Plenum, the meeting that could decide Xi's fate. So when Xi returned to Beijing from the BRICS summit on September 13th, he said he wasn't feeling well and didn't want to make the trip to America. He also made fewer public appearances. Meanwhile, Xi's camp began putting out a message through overseas media. Unless the United States stopped selling arms to Taiwan, Xi might call off the visit. And remember how rumors that Xi had suffered a stroke in India swept across social media? That too was part of an information war. Xi's strategy was to refuse to play along. He would not make the US trip the conservatives wanted, and he would not give ground to the reformers. By staying home, he hoped to put both sides in a bind and force them to compromise, while holding on to as much of his political position as he could. The visit was too important for the conservatives to brush aside. It was Xi's formal return visit after Trump's trip to China in May, and the first state visit to the United States by China's top leader in 11 years. They feared that if Xi refused to go, the reformers would step in and take control of foreign policy, cutting into the conservatives' influence. Xi knew that gave him room to bargain, and he made his demand. Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli had to be declared guilty. Xi's camp wanted this settled before the US trip. They wanted Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli stripped of their party membership and military status, with the cases against them locked down for good. The aim was to prevent retaliation from the military, especially while Xi's camp was away in America. After the bargaining, Xi got what he wanted. Zhang and Liu became the price the conservatives paid to secure his US visit, and ultimately, his agreement to step down. But this left the reformers and the military deeply disillusioned. They had insisted all along that Xi's camp be held accountable, and that the names of the victims, including Li Keqiang, Zhang Youxia, and Liu Zhenli, be officially rehabilitated. Then, on September 21, the Politburo did something highly unusual. It held its September meeting ahead of schedule. Soon afterward came the announcement that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli had been expelled from the party and the military for serious violations of discipline and law. The Fifth Plenum is said to be the decisive showdown in the CCP's power struggle. On the surface, Xi had won this round. But the date the Politburo announced for the plenum sent a chill through Xi's camp. The Politburo meeting on September 21, held ahead of schedule, did more than give the party's final word on the Zhang Youxia case. It also set, and publicly announced, the dates for the Fifth Plenum, October 26-29 in Beijing. This is a highly unusual date, and an explosive piece of news. Many people who understand what it means may have looked at the announcement in disbelief, because that date effectively announces the end of Xi's camp. Three years ago, on October 26, 2023, former Premier Li Keqiang was in the pool at Shanghai's Dongzhou Guesthouse when he suffered what officials called a sudden heart attack. He was taken to Shuguang Hospital for emergency treatment. Then, at 12.10am on October 27, officials declared that efforts to save him had failed. The official time given for Li Keqiang's death was 12.10am on October 27. But we all know that was when the authorities stopped trying to save him and declared him dead. Li had actually died on October 26. Now think about the date chosen for the Fifth Plenum. This is one of the CCP's most important political meetings, widely seen as the meeting that will decide whether Xi stays for another term or his departure is officially announced. And it opens on the anniversary of Li Keqiang's death. What lies behind that choice of date? If Xi still held all the power, as some media keep claiming, there is no way he would have allowed the Fifth Plenum to open That leaves only one explanation. The Central Party Decision-Making and Coordination Body, led by the reformist faction, set the date to commemorate Li Keqiang and seek justice for his death. So much evidence now points to Xi's camp having orchestrated Li Keqiang's death. The reformist faction want to send a clear message. This is a reckoning, and in a sense, revenge. The reformist faction has struck back and taken this round. In a month, the fierce struggle inside Zhongnanhai will reach its decisive showdown. Let's see how it ends. And one final question. Do you think the tall Chinese leader Trump greeted in person was the real Xi? Get the real story behind the CCP's shifting power games and see where US-China relations are headed next. Support the vision of a new China without communism. Subscribe now and join us in bringing the truth to light.