China has launched an investigation into Zhang Youxia, the country’s most senior serving military officer after President Xi Jinping. The move has been described by analysts as one of the most consequential purges within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in decades.
His position as the CMC’s second-in-command after Xi makes him the highest-ranking uniformed officer in the Chinese military. He is also a member of the Communist Party’s 24-member Politburo, the core of political power in China.
Why Is Xi Jinping Targeting Zhang Youxia?
The probe, officially framed as an investigation into “serious violations of discipline and the law”, marks a dramatic escalation in Xi’s long-running anti-corruption campaign within the military.
A statement issued by China’s defence ministry confirmed that authorities have initiated investigations into both Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, 61, the chief of staff of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department.
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“Following a review, it has been decided to initiate an investigation into Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli,” the ministry said, adding that both officials were “suspected of serious violations of discipline and the law”.
No details of the alleged wrongdoing have been made public.
Liu, 61, is a member of the CMC and heads its Joint Staff Department, which is responsible for overseeing the PLA’s joint operations, training and combat readiness.
Who Is Zhang Youxia?
Zhang, 75, is the vice-chairman of the Communist Party’s powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), the body that commands China’s armed forces. Zhang and Liu are decorated war heroes and are the only two members of the seven-strong CMC with actual combat experience. Both took part in PLA campaigns against Vietnam in the late 1970s.
Zhang Youxia joined the People’s Liberation Army in 1968 and rose through the ranks of the ground forces. His decades-long military career has placed him at the heart of China’s defence establishment.
Born in July 1950, Zhang graduated from the People’s Liberation Army Military Academy. After nearly four decades of service in the Ground Force, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the Beijing Military Area in 2005, before becoming Commander of the Shenyang Military Area in 2007.
In 2013, Zhang joined both the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Military Commission and the People’s Republic of China Central Military Commission. Between 2013 and 2017, he served as chief of the Equipment Development Department of the PRC Central Military Commission, overseeing key military procurement programmes. He was later elevated to Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission.
Upheaval Within Chinese Military Leadership
Zhang Youxia’s investigation comes amid wider upheaval at the highest levels of China’s military leadership.
The Communist Party expelled the other vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, He Weidong, in October last year. He was replaced by commission member Zhang Shengmin, underscoring the depth of the leadership reshuffle underway.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
