Zhang Youxia, the longtime power broker in China's military and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, has finally been officially removed.
According to Xinhua on the 28th, the National People's Congress of China decided at the closing meeting of its Standing Committee to strip Zhang Youxia of his post as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China. Liu Zhenli, a Central Military Commission Commissioner who fell from power along with Zhang, also lost his position.
China's top military leadership has been rocked by an unprecedented upheaval under President Xi Jinping's push for a "war on corruption." Starting with former defense minister Li Shangfu in 2023, former head of the Political Work Department Miao Hua in 2024, and former CMC vice chairman He Weidong in 2025 were all ousted in succession, and on Jan. 1, Zhang Youxia, who was No. 2 in rank, and Liu Zhenli, effectively the head of the Joint Staff Department, were also pushed out of the center of power.
China's Central Military Commission is the top military body, run by seven Commissioners, including one chair and two vice chairs. But for now, only Chair Xi Jinping and Vice Chair Zhang Shengmin remain.
With the Chinese Communist Party's 20th Central Committee Fifth Plenary Session (20th Fifth Plenum) set for Oct., some interpret the move as authorities wrapping up a personnel purge within the military ahead of the meeting.
Because the Chinese military stripped He Weidong of both his Party membership and military status just before the 20th Fourth Plenum last year, there is speculation that similar additional measures could follow for Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli.
What has been decided so far is the removal of their Central Military Commission posts as a state institution. China operates a dual CMC structure that separates the state system from the Party system, so their Party Central Military Commission Commissioner posts and Central Committee memberships remain. Disciplinary expulsions or removals from these Party posts are to be finalized by the Communist Party Central Committee in the future.
Meanwhile, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China on the same day removed Lu Zuyuan from his post as Minister of Civil Affairs and appointed former vice minister Li Changguan as his successor. Former Director General Lu became the successor to Xu Liuping, the No. 1 secretary of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (the official union), who fell after becoming the subject of a disciplinary inspection.