PLA Tremors and the Chairman in Charge

Summary

In this episode, Dr. Holly Snape explains the Central Military Commission Chairman Responsibility System (CRS), a set of rules and mechanisms Xi Jinping has built over the past 13 years to cement Party control of the PLA. She details how the CRS reshapes top‑level power structures, aligns the Party and state CMCs, and creates a closed‑circuit of instruction, reporting, supervision and information services to streamline decision‑making. By examining publicly available Party and military documents, Snape shows how the CRS has been institutionalised through rulemaking, disciplinary campaigns and inspection tours, and why the recent purges of Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia and member Liu Zhenli are framed as violations of this system. The guest’s expertise in Chinese domestic politics and Party‑military relations provides a rare institutional perspective that moves beyond rumor‑driven analysis.