Central Military Commission (CMC) Chairman Xi Jinping presided over a ceremony on July 3 promoting two People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officers to the rank of General (Shangjiang, 上将): Zhang Shuguang (张曙光) and Wang Gang (王刚).
Zhang Shuguang was appointed Secretary of the CMC Discipline Inspection Commission and Director of the CMC Supervisory Commission, succeeding Zhang Shengmin as head of the PLA’s top disciplinary body. Under longstanding practice, the holder of this position is typically appointed to the CMC, making Zhang Shuguang a likely candidate for future elevation. Zhang Shengmin, the only remaining CMC member besides Xi after the purge of the other members, was recently promoted to CMC Vice Chairman.
Wang Gang succeeds Chang Dingqiu as PLA Air Force Commander after previously serving as a Deputy Commander. Chinese authorities have not explained Chang’s departure. However, overseas social media accounts circulated unverified claims in late 2025 that Chang and several other senior PLA officers were under anti-corruption investigation, followed by additional unverified reports that Chang died while in custody.
The promotions come amid continued upheaval in the PLA’s senior leadership. Over the past three years, at least 19 officers with ranks of General have been removed from public positions or stripped of their status as delegates to the National People’s Congress.
Wang Gang’s career trajectory has also attracted attention. His apparent personnel lineage to Zheng Qunliang and Hu Jintao has led some observers to view him as having strong ties to the “Hu faction.” Hu Jintao promoted Zheng during his tenure as CMC chairman, while Wang rose through the ranks under Zheng’s command of the PLA Air Force’s elite 1st Air Division. This makes Wang’s promotion to generate further speculation.
Sources:
1. People’s Daily, July 4, 2026
https://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/pc/content/202607/04/content_30166571.html
2. Epoch Times, July 4, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/7/3/n14802424.htm
3. Epoch Times, July 4, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/7/3/n14802389.htm
4. Aboluo, July 5, 2026
https://www.aboluowang.com/2026/0705/2404227.html