The blade of Chinese President Xi Jinping has pointed at the top ranks of the Chinese military. Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia, the No. 2 in the military, has effectively fallen from power as he came under investigation on suspicion of "serious disciplinary and illegal acts." As allegations emerged that he leaked nuclear weapons-related information to the United States and even attempted a coup but failed, the military's official newspaper defined his charges as political crimes and said, "No matter how many people are involved, we will investigate them all, and no matter how deeply they are entangled, we will get to the bottom of it."
Earlier, the Ministry of National Defense said on its website on the 24th that Vice Chairman Zhang and Liu Zhenli, a Central Military Commission Commissioner and chief of the Joint Staff Department, are suspected of committing serious disciplinary and illegal acts, and that the two have been placed on file and will be investigated. The ministry did not mention any other specifics.
The PLA Daily ran an editorial describing the case as "a political and corruption problem of the military leadership" and defined it as a political crime that directly challenged the governing order, not a mere corruption case. The editorial said Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli "seriously betrayed the trust and expectations of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, and undermined the system of responsibility of the CMC chairman (Xi Jinping)." It added, "They seriously fomented and spread political and corruption problems that damage the Party's governing foundation, caused enormous destruction to the military's political integrity, political ecology, and combat readiness building, and had an extremely malign impact on the Party, the state, and the military."
Regarding concerns that a military purge could weaken combat capability, it reiterated, "The people's army becomes stronger, purer, and more combat-capable the more thoroughly it fights corruption. The more thorough the anti-corruption campaign, the more solid the confidence and foundation to achieve the goal of building a strong military in 100 years."
The PLA Daily added, "No matter how high the position, if corruption is committed, there will be no leniency," and "Party-member cadres in the military, especially senior cadres, must take those investigated and punished for corruption as a cautionary example."
Foreign media also raised suspicions of a security and power-struggle nature behind Zhang Youxia's fall, in addition to corruption allegations. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing sources in China, reported that in a closed-door briefing, allegations were raised that Zhang leaked core technical data related to China's nuclear weapons to the United States. It also said Zhang is suspected of taking large bribes from former Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu to help him get promoted, forming political factions, and abusing power within the Central Military Commission.
Allegations of a "failed coup" were also raised. The U.S. outlet Epoch Times, which is critical of China, cited a source as saying, "Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli tried to arrest Xi Jinping on the night of the 18th, but the information leaked two hours earlier, and Xi left the hotel where he had planned to stay, foiling the attempt." It added, "Zhang's side, unaware of the leak, sent in the advance team as planned, and a gunfight broke out between them and personnel deployed by Xi Jinping, causing casualties on both sides."
Zhang Youxia is a member of the Communist Party's top power body, the Politburo, and a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission commanding about 2 million troops. He has been regarded as representing the princeling faction (the children of revolutionary elders) and the Shaanxi clique (a network of those from Shaanxi Province) within the military. Among military figures felled in the anti-corruption purge under Xi's rule, he holds the highest rank. Zhang is also "the son of a friend of Xi's father," and Zhang and Xi's father are known to have been hometown friends and comrades-in-arms. For this reason, Zhang had long been classified as one of Xi's closest associates. However, in recent years, amid the trend of military purges, reports of discord with Xi continued. He actually fueled speculation of his fall by skipping key meetings chaired by Xi.
Xi has been carrying out an anti-corruption purge targeting the military leadership since around 2023. Before Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, He Weidong, the former Central Military Commission vice chairman who was No. 3 in the military, and Miao Hua, the former director of the CMC Political Work Department who was No. 5, were ousted in Oct. last year on the same charges. As a result, of the six top military leaders Xi appointed after his third term was set in 2022, a total of five have fallen on corruption charges. Of the seven members of the Central Military Commission, only Xi himself and Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin remain. Christopher K. Johnson, head of the China Strategies Group and a former CIA official, told The New York Times (NYT), "It is an unprecedented step in the history of China's military and amounts to the complete evisceration of the top command."