China's ruling Communist Party has launched investigations into two of the country's highest-ranking military officials, including President Xi Jinping's closest ally in the armed forces, in what analysts describe as an unprecedented purge that has effectively annihilated the military high command. The Defense Ministry announced Saturday that Zhang Youxia, the senior vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli, chief of staff of the commission's Joint Staff Department, face probes for suspected serious violations of discipline and law.
Zhang Youxia, 75, has long been considered Xi's most trusted military confidant. The son of senior officials who fought alongside Xi's father during China's civil war in the 1940s, Zhang joined the army in 1968 and saw combat during the 1979 border war with Vietnam. He was retained for an unprecedented third term on the Central Military Commission, which analysts attributed to Xi's desire to keep an experienced and loyal ally as his top military adviser. Zhang has not appeared publicly since meeting Russia's defense minister in Moscow on November 20, 2025.
The investigation marks a dramatic escalation in Xi's anti-corruption campaign, which has disciplined more than 200,000 officials since he assumed power in 2012. Former CIA analyst Christopher K. Johnson called the probing of Zhang an unprecedented move in the history of the Chinese military, stating that it represents the total annihilation of the high command. Johnson emphasized that purging even a childhood friend in Zhang Youxia demonstrates there are now no limits to Xi's anti-graft zeal.
The purge follows the October expulsion of He Weidong, the other vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, and the 2024 removal of two former defense ministers on corruption charges. In October alone, Xi's Communist Party ousted nine senior People's Liberation Army officials, alleging serious violations of party discipline and serious duty-related crimes, charges similar to those now leveled against Zhang and Liu.
Analysts believe the sweeping purges serve dual purposes: reforming military institutions plagued by corruption while ensuring absolute loyalty to Xi's personal leadership. The timing is particularly significant as the Trump administration's newly released National Defense Strategy identifies China as a formidable military power requiring active deterrence to prevent regional dominance.
The Defense Ministry statement provided no specific details regarding the alleged misconduct of either official. Both Zhang and Liu hold key roles in the command structure of the People's Liberation Army, and their removal creates a significant leadership vacuum at the highest levels of China's military apparatus during a period of heightened geopolitical tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.
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