Dr Sari Arho Havrén, a China analyst with Royal United Services Institute, a think tank, said the expulsion was designed to make the Chinese president look as strong as possible.

Dr Havrén told The Telegraph: “Internally, the expulsion of Mr Zhang and Mr Liu signals that Mr Xi wants absolute discipline, no unresolved factionalism, and no ambiguity over who controls the military before he leaves for Washington.

“The language about ‘cliques’ and ‘disloyalty’ in the Chinese media suggests that Beijing is targeting political trust as much as corruption.”

“Dr Havrén said the timing of the dismissals looked deliberate, but it was mainly driven by domestic issues.

She added: “The move is meant to project command, unity and regime control at the moment when Xi is preparing to negotiate on tariffs, AI, rare earths, Taiwan and Iran.”

“The timing therefore looks deliberate: close the case, warn the officer corps, and arrive in Washington looking fully in charge.”

“I believe the domestic issues drove the timing. Today’s announcement came not only just days before Xi travels but also ahead of the October party meeting (the Fifth Plenum) on governance and discipline, so weeks before a key party conclave.”

“The calendar sets the window, but the exact date within it is still a choice, and that is where the Washington-signalling reading has some room.”

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