Zhang Youxia, the Central Military Commission’s second-in-command, and Liu Zhenli, head of the Joint Staff Department, lost their party memberships and military ranks on Monday. State-run Xinhua cited official documents accusing the duo of "disloyalty, corruption, and dereliction of duty." The charges are severe, alleging they formed cliques and engaged in "corrupt self-enrichment" intertwined with abuse of office.
Zhang is not just a bureaucrat; he is a combat veteran and a member of the elite Politburo. He has served as one of President Xi Jinping’s closest military allies for years. Liu, meanwhile, controlled the military’s operational backbone through the Joint Staff Department. Their removal signals that no one, not even Xi’s inner circle, is safe from the purge.
The crackdown on the PLA has accelerated under Xi. In October 2025, nine senior generals were expelled for a "total collapse of beliefs." In December, China’s parliament removed three more senior officials. General Zhao Zongqi, who commanded forces during the 2020 Galwan Valley clash with India, was also quietly removed from his political advisory role in August. The pattern is clear: Xi is reasserting absolute control over the armed forces.
The investigations against Zhang and Liu began in January, leading to their removal from the state CMC in late August. The party now claims their "political and economic wrongdoing" was "extremely serious" and that the sums involved were "exceptionally large." No specific financial figures were released, but the language suggests a high-level financial scandal.
Expect further purges in the coming months. The CCP’s anti-corruption drive has now targeted the highest echelons of the military, leaving little room for independent command structures. Beijing will likely use these expulsions to justify tighter central oversight of the PLA.