China Removes Zhang Youxia And Liu Zhenli From State Military Commission
Two senior generals lose positions after months of military investigations.
China has removed two senior military officers, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, from key positions in the country’s Central Military Commission (CMC), months after authorities announced investigations into alleged serious violations of discipline and law. The move was reported by state news agency Xinhua on Friday and represents a major development within China’s top military leadership.
Zhang, who served as the senior of the CMC’s two vice chairmen, was the highest-ranking general in China. His removal is particularly significant because of his seniority and longstanding position within the military hierarchy. Liu, who headed the CMC’s Joint Staff Department responsible for combat planning, was also removed from his position.
China’s Defence Ministry announced in January that Zhang and Liu were suspected of “serious violations of discipline and the law”, language commonly used by Chinese authorities in cases involving alleged corruption. No detailed information about the specific accusations against either officer has been released, and their current whereabouts remain unknown.
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The removals form part of the broader anti-corruption campaign that has marked President Xi Jinping’s leadership. However, Zhang’s case has attracted particular attention because of his position and his perceived closeness to Xi. An editorial in the People’s Liberation Army Daily published when the investigation was announced accused the two officers of undermining the system of ultimate responsibility centred on the CMC chairman.
The CMC is China’s highest military decision-making body and is chaired by Xi. China formally has separate Communist Party and state versions of the commission, but they are effectively treated as a single institution within the country’s political and military system. Friday’s announcement specifically concerned Zhang and Liu’s positions in the state CMC.
Their removal leaves the seven-member state CMC with only two publicly known members — Xi Jinping and anti-corruption chief Zhang Shengmin. The developments highlight the continuing upheaval within China’s senior military leadership as Beijing intensifies efforts to address corruption and maintain political and institutional control over the armed forces.
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