CCP Probes Top Military Official Close to Xi Along with His Deputy

China's Communist Party has decided to open an investigation into senior military officials Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli for suspected serious violations of discipline and law, China’s defense ministry said, Reuters reported.

Zhang’s removal is the second of a sitting general on the Central Military Commission since the 1966–76 Cultural Revolution. (Photo: President of Russia) 

Zhang is a member of the elite Politburo of the ruling Communist Party and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), while Liu is chief of staff of the CMC Joint Staff Department, according to the ministry.

Zhang, 75, a veteran modernizer, is widely seen as President Xi Jinping's closest military ally and one of just a few leading officers with combat experience.

He is one of two vice-chairmen of the CMC, China’s supreme armed forces command organization.

Foreign diplomats and security analysts are watching developments closely, given Zhang’s closeness to Xi and the importance of the commission’s work in terms of command, as well as the PLA’s ongoing military modernization and posture.

The military was one of the main targets of a broad corruption crackdown ordered by Xi in 2012.

That drive reached the upper echelons of the People’s Liberation Army in 2023 when the Rocket Force was targeted.

Eight top generals were expelled from the Communist Party on graft charges in October 2025, including the country’s number two general, He Weidong. He had served under Xi and alongside Zhang on the CMC.

Two former defense ministers were also purged from the ruling party in recent years for corruption.

The crackdown is slowing procurement of advanced weaponry and hitting the revenues of some of China’s biggest defense firms.

Zhang’s removal is the second of a sitting general on the Central Military Commission since the 1966–76 Cultural Revolution. He has not been seen in public since Nov. 20, when he held talks with Russia’s defense minister in Moscow.