China has removed two of its most senior military leaders from the Communist Party and the armed forces, in a major disciplinary action that has shaken the top level of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
General Zhang Youxia, who was the vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC), and General Liu Zhenli, a former chief of the CMC Joint Staff Department, have been expelled from the Communist Party and stripped of their military membership.
The decision was approved at a meeting of the Communist Party’s Politburo on September 21, following investigations that began earlier this year. Chinese authorities said the two men were involved in serious violations of party discipline, corruption and other misconduct.
Zhang Youxia was China’s second-highest military official
Zhang was one of the most powerful figures in China’s military leadership. As the first-ranking vice-chairman of the CMC, he was directly below President Xi Jinping, who also heads the CMC.
His removal is particularly significant because Zhang had been regarded as an experienced military commander and one of the senior PLA officers with actual combat experience.
Zhang’s military career included service during China’s 1979 war with Vietnam. He later rose through the PLA’s senior command structure before becoming one of the country’s highest-ranking military officials.
He was also considered to have longstanding connections with Xi Jinping, making his removal especially notable.
Liu Zhenli also removed from Communist Party
Liu Zhenli was another senior figure in the Chinese military. He previously served as chief of the CMC Joint Staff Department, a position linked to military planning and joint operations.
Both Zhang and Liu were investigated after Chinese authorities announced in January that they were being examined for serious violations of law and discipline.
In August, China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee removed them from their positions on the state Central Military Commission. The latest action goes further, with both men now expelled from the Communist Party and military.
Chinese authorities accuse them of corruption and disloyalty
The official investigation accused Zhang and Liu of violating political and organisational rules. Authorities said the two had formed groups and factions and were not loyal to the Communist Party.
They were also accused of using their positions to help people obtain promotions in return for large amounts of money. The investigation further alleged that they improperly accepted gifts and money and failed to properly supervise relatives and staff members.
Chinese authorities described the alleged financial violations as involving a particularly large amount of money. The cases involving possible criminal offences have now been sent to military prosecutors for further examination and possible prosecution.
The accusations are official findings from the Chinese authorities; details of the evidence and the exact amount allegedly involved have not been publicly disclosed.
What happens to China’s top military leadership now?
The removal of Zhang and Liu follows a wider series of investigations involving senior PLA officials.
The CMC formed after the Communist Party’s 20th National Congress in 2022 originally had seven members. Several senior officials from that group have since been removed, including former Defence Minister Li Shangfu, former CMC vice-chairman He Weidong and former Political Work Department chief Miao Hua.
Following the latest removals, publicly reported membership of the original seven-member CMC has been reduced to Xi Jinping and Zhang Shengmin.
The latest action therefore represents another major change at the top of China’s military command structure and comes as Xi’s long-running campaign against corruption and violations of party discipline continues to target senior PLA officials.
