Did Xi Jinping Foil a Coup Attempt Two Hours Before It Happened? Arrests Allegedly Reach Thousands

Chinese President Xi Jinping allegedly narrowly avoided a coup attempt after receiving advance intelligence roughly two hours before it was set to unfold, triggering a sweeping crackdown that reportedly led to nearly 3,000 arrests.

Sources suggest that those detained include military personnel and members of their families, raising questions about internal stability within China's armed forces. While Beijing has not publicly confirmed the existence of a coup plot, the scale and speed of the alleged response have raised questions about whether the coup attempt was legitimate.

Why There Were Mass Arrests in China

Reports of mass arrests in China stem from President Xi's sweeping purge of senior military leadership, centred on General Zhang Youxia, the first-ranked vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC).

According to the Financial Times, Zhang and fellow general Liu Zhenli are under investigation for 'serious discipline violations', a language commonly used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to cover corruption, abuse of power, and political disloyalty.

The PLA's official newspaper accused Zhang of undermining the 'chairman responsibility system', a doctrine that guarantees Xi's absolute command over the military.

This framing suggests that the investigation is not only about corruption but about ensuring loyalty and preventing any military figure from accumulating independent authority.

The New York Post describes the purge as the largest military shake-up since 1971, but also does not confirm mass arrest figures.

Historically, PLA purges can involve detentions, interrogations, surveillance, and restrictions affecting associates and family members, but exact numbers are rarely disclosed. As of now, claims alleged that there have been 3,000 arrests.

Mentions of Coup Attempts

No coup attempt has been confirmed. However, experts acknowledged that the Chinese military has historically been the only institution capable of challenging party leadership.

In past eras, including Mao Zedong's rule, there were genuine coup concerns, such as the alleged 1971 plot by Lin Biao.

Many observers and commentators have drawn parallels to a coup scenario because the scale of the current military shake-up is being compared to 1971, the last time China experienced a purge of similar magnitude. That period coincided with genuine coup concerns, when senior PLA commander Lin Biao was accused of plotting against Mao Zedong.

While no evidence has emerged that a coup attempt occurred this time, the historical comparison has fuelled speculation about internal instability and the reasons behind Xi Jinping's unusually decisive action.

Was the CIA Involved?

Despite news that Zhang leaked nuclear weapons information to the CIA, Chinese authorities have not formally accused Zhang of espionage or named the CIA in any official charges.

However, in a closed‑door briefing for senior Chinese military officials, Zhang was said to be accused of leaking 'core technical data' related to China's nuclear weapons programme to the United States. Those accounts came from sources familiar with the internal meeting, not from an official statement by Beijing.

Official statements from China's Defence Ministry speak only of 'discipline violations' and 'undermining party leadership', which many said point to corruption and political loyalty cases, rather than to specific espionage with foreign agencies.

For now, Chinese authorities have not publicly accused Zhang of being a CIA informant or named the CIA in connection with the investigation. Instead, the official explanation is that he is under investigation for serious violations of discipline and law.