BEIJING: China has removed its highest-ranking military general, Zhang Youxia, as part of an expanding anti-corruption and discipline campaign under President Xi Jinping, according to official disclosures and international media reports.
Zhang, a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), was accused of “serious violations of discipline and the law,” becoming the fifth senior military official appointed by Xi to be removed since 2022. The move underscores a broad effort to tighten political control over China’s armed forces and reinforce loyalty at the highest levels of military leadership.
According to The New York Times, the removal is part of a sustained campaign aimed at eradicating corruption and internal dissent within the People’s Liberation Army. Separately, The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with internal discussions, reported that Zhang is suspected of leaking sensitive information related to China’s nuclear weapons programme to the United States and accepting bribes. Chinese authorities have not publicly released detailed evidence or formal charges related to these allegations.
Unprecedented shake-up within military leadership
The Wall Street Journal also reported that Zhang faced accusations of attempting to form “political cliques,” a term frequently used in China to signal disloyalty to the Communist Party’s central leadership.
Analysts quoted by the New York Times described the removal as unprecedented in the modern history of the Chinese military, noting that it represents one of the most sweeping overhauls of the armed forces’ top command in recent decades.
The Central Military Commission, which controls China’s armed forces, is the Communist Party’s most powerful military body. Zhang was second only to Xi in influence within the commission.
Investigations widen amid heightened security environment
Chinese media reports indicate that Liu Zhenli, head of the Joint Staff Department, is also under investigation, suggesting that scrutiny may extend further into the senior military hierarchy.
Zhang, 75, was regarded as a close associate of Xi and had remained in office beyond the customary retirement age. A veteran commander, he was among the few senior Chinese officers with direct combat experience, having played a prominent role in the border conflict with Vietnam beginning in 1979. He had served on the Central Military Commission since 2017.
The leadership changes come at a time of heightened regional security tensions and increased focus on military readiness, adding significance to the scale and timing of the purge. Observers say the removals reflect an effort to carry out a generational reset of the military leadership while consolidating authority within China’s defence establishment.
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