His consistent line, Nov. 5 -- The Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee concluded in Beijing on 29 October 2026, and a central military takeaway was the further reinforcement of absolute loyalty to the CPC, expressed through the persona of General Secretary Xi Jinping as core leader and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC).

Xi elevated political reliability-absolute party leadership over the armed forces and personal allegiance to himself as CMC Chairman-as a top priority for the PLA. Official messaging and subsequent PLA commentary stressed resolute fealty to the party supreme Central Committee, and Chairman Xi, along with the "Two Establishes" and "Two Safeguards."

Experts not...