China's sudden removal of top military leaders has thrown the Communist Party's command structure into disarray, creating new uncertainty over Taiwan and raising the risk of reckless military action, China expert Gordon Chang said on Newsmax Thursday.
"The Central Military Commission of the Communist Party, which controls the military, has been decimated," Chang told "Wake Up America."
"There are now only two people on it: Xi Jinping himself and the political commissar of the army. That means the operational people are not there."
Chang said several of the ousted officers, including Gen. Zhang Youxia, had previously slowed Xi's plans to invade Taiwan — acting as internal restraints within China's military leadership.
"There are no political brakes on him right now," Chang said. "That means that he could go out and get a compliant general or admiral to launch an ill-advised strike on another country."
While Chang does not expect China to launch a full-scale air, land, and sea invasion of Taiwan in the near term, he said the leadership vacuum makes Beijing unpredictable.
"There is complete chaos right now at the top of the Chinese military," Chang said.
"That will take some time to be resolved. But when it's resolved, China could be even more dangerous than it is now."
China's Ministry of National Defense confirmed over the weekend that two generals have been placed under investigation, Chang said, adding that they are almost certainly detained.
Reports circulating in Beijing suggest Zhang may not be in custody, but Chang said he does not believe those claims.
"There are rumors flying fast and furious around Beijing right now," he said.
Chang also criticized recent moves by Western leaders to reengage Beijing, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to China this week and similar outreach by French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian officials.
"This is not a good development," Chang said. "What we have are Western leaders trying to make separate deals with the Chinese, and the Chinese right now are in no mood to end up in constructive discussions with anybody."
He said China's economic weakness limits its leverage, noting that 2025 import numbers were flat, signaling Beijing's continued resistance to fair trade.
"The U.S. economy, thanks to President Donald Trump, is booming," Chang said. "Countries are going to need the U.S., and they're not going to be needing China."
Chang also backed Trump's warnings about growing Chinese and Russian activity in the Arctic, citing joint military exercises and Chinese submarine operations beneath the Arctic ice cap.
"This was preparation for Chinese ballistic missile submarines to patrol the Arctic," Chang said.
"That means they'd be much closer to Canada and the United States. President Donald Trump is right: We need far more defenses in Greenland and the Arctic," he added.
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