The PLA purge isn't just about corruption — Xi is structurally rebuilding the military around officers who owe personal loyalty to him rather than institutional networks, meaning the 2027 Taiwan capability deadline is being rebuilt from scratch with untested leadership.
A hollowed-out PLA command structure increases miscalculation risk in the Taiwan Strait just as China's homegrown chip + AI stack starts closing the weapons-guidance gap with the US — creating a window where capability is rising but command cohesion is fragile.