China ruling Communist Party has launched an investigation into two senior military officials — Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli — over suspected serious violations of discipline and the law, the country’s defence ministry said on Saturday.
Zhang is a member of the party’s elite Politburo and serves as vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), while Liu is chief of staff of the commission’s Joint Staff Department, according to the ministry.
Zhang’s Prominent Role in China’s Military Leadership
At 75, Zhang is widely regarded as one of President Xi Jinping’s closest military allies and among the few top commanders with direct combat experience. As one of two vice-chairmen of the CMC, Zhang holds a central role in overseeing the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
His prominence has made the investigation particularly significant, drawing close attention from foreign diplomats and security analysts monitoring China’s military command and modernisation efforts.
Anti-Corruption Campaign Reaches the Top Ranks
The probe is the latest chapter in Xi’s sweeping anti-corruption drive, launched in 2012, which has increasingly targeted the military. The campaign reached a critical point in 2023 when China’s Rocket Force was placed under investigation.
In October 2025, eight senior generals were expelled from the Communist Party on graft charges, including former CMC vice-chairman He Weidong, once considered the country’s second-ranking general. Two former defence ministers have also been purged in recent years.
The crackdown has disrupted defence procurement and weighed on revenues at some of China’s largest military contractors.
Rare Removal From the Central Military Commission
Zhang’s investigation marks only the second time since the 1966–1976 Cultural Revolution that a serving general on the Central Military Commission has been removed.
He was last seen in public on November 20, when he met Russia’s defence minister in Moscow. Earlier that month, Zhang authored an article calling for a purge of what he described as “fake loyalty” and “two-faced men” within the military, urging the elimination of entrenched problems.
Shared Revolutionary Background With Xi
Both Xi and Zhang hail from Shaanxi province and are sons of senior officials who fought together during China’s civil war in the 1940s.
Born in Beijing, Zhang joined the army in 1968 and steadily rose through the ranks, joining the CMC in late 2012 as China accelerated efforts to modernise its armed forces.
A 2023 Pentagon report noted that Zhang was widely expected to retire in 2022 under standard military norms, but was retained for a third term — a decision analysts said reflected Xi’s desire to keep a trusted and experienced adviser close.
Combat Experience and Modernisation Focus
Zhang fought in China’s 1979 border war with Vietnam and later clashes in 1984, experiences that helped shape his reputation as a military moderniser.
Chinese state media has previously highlighted his battlefield performance, noting rapid promotions during combat operations. Scholars say those experiences reinforced Zhang’s advocacy for updated tactics, advanced weaponry and improved training across the PLA.
China has not fought a major war in decades, but it has adopted a more assertive posture in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and around Taiwan, where Beijing conducted its largest-ever military exercises late last year.