The military anti-corruption probe pushed by China's President Xi Jinping has expanded to the highest ranks of the armed forces. On the 24th, the Ministry of National Defense said Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia, 75, and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli, 61, have been placed on file and are under investigation on suspicion of "serious violations of discipline and law."
According to the Ministry of National Defense that day, the Communist Party of China Central Committee decided to conduct a review and investigation of the two figures. In disciplinary actions against senior military officials, it is notable that the "Party Central" was explicitly named as the principal, rather than the Central Military Commission Discipline Inspection Commission that is typically mentioned. In Chinese official usage, "serious violations of discipline" generally means allegations of corruption such as bribery.
Zhang Youxia had been regarded as the most senior active-duty officer in the Chinese military aside from Xi. His father, Zhang Zongxun, worked with Xi's father, Xi Zhongxun, during the Chinese Civil War, and Zhang is classified as a military elder from the so-called "princeling" faction. Zhang also played a key role in consolidating control over the military after Xi took power and is known as a general with combat experience, having fought in the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War. Liu Zhenli is the head of the Joint Staff Department overseeing military operations and has been repeatedly promoted in recent years with Xi's confidence.
Major outlets analyzed that this move has created a large vacuum in the Central Military Commission leadership. After former Defense Minister Li Shangfu, the Rocket Force leadership, and former Central Military Commission Vice Chairman He Weidong were successively investigated last year, key figures in the seven-member Central Military Commission—except for Xi and Central Military Commission Discipline Inspection Commission (Discipline Commission) Secretary Zhang Shengmin—have been replaced or placed under investigation.
Some experts are focusing on the possibility that the matter is linked to corruption in the defense industry. From 2015, Zhang Youxia served as head of the Central Military Commission Equipment Development Department, overseeing weapons development and procurement. Deutsche Welle (DW) analyzed that "the Equipment Development Department was newly established after the military reforms and has executed a large budget, and corruption may have occurred in the process."
Major outlets predicted there will be significant political fallout from Zhang Youxia's fall. The fact that even a figure from a revolutionary elder's family is included in the investigation target is interpreted as a clearer trend of strengthening control within the military. Christopher Johnson, a China analyst formerly with the CIA, told the New York Times (NYT), "The entire top command of the Chinese military has entered a reorganization phase," adding, "It can be seen as a sign that Xi no longer trusts the existing command structure."
In an editorial that day, the People's Liberation Army Daily, the Chinese military's official newspaper, criticized the two for "violating the Party Central and the CMC chairman responsibility system," and argued that the move is aimed at establishing military discipline and strengthening combat capability.
Ahead of the People's Liberation Army's 100th anniversary next year, Xi is accelerating efforts to strengthen military discipline. However, there are also concerns that frequent leadership changes could burden the military's operational continuity and stability. Newsweek reported, "As leadership vacancies accumulate, problems of lack of experience and expertise may surface."