China’s top general under investigation in latest military purge

China’s Top Military General Under Investigation in Ongoing Purge

China’s Defense Ministry announced Saturday that Zhang Youxia, the senior vice chair of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), is being investigated for “suspected serious violations of discipline and law,” marking another high-profile casualty in Beijing’s sweeping military purge.

The 75-year-old general, who joined the People’s Liberation Army in 1968 and rose through the ranks of its ground forces, is one of the most senior military officials to fall under scrutiny in recent years. The ministry provided no specific details about the alleged wrongdoing.

In the same statement, authorities revealed that Liu Zhenli, chief of staff of the commission’s Joint Staff Department and another CMC member, is also under investigation by China’s ruling Communist Party.

These investigations represent the latest chapter in what analysts describe as a calculated campaign to both reform China’s military apparatus and ensure unwavering loyalty to President Xi Jinping, who chairs the military commission. The CMC serves as China’s highest military authority, overseeing all branches of the armed forces.

Military leadership within China has experienced significant turnover in recent months. Last October, the Communist Party expelled He Weidong, the other vice chair of the commission, replacing him with commission member Zhang Shengmin. Earlier this year, two former defense ministers were expelled from the party on corruption charges.

These military purges form part of a broader anti-corruption drive initiated by Xi after he assumed power in 2012. This campaign has resulted in disciplinary actions against more than 200,000 officials across various sectors of Chinese government and society.

Security analysts suggest the ongoing purges serve multiple purposes beyond fighting corruption. They represent Xi’s efforts to modernize China’s military while simultaneously tightening his personal control over the armed forces, ensuring commanders’ loyalty lies with him rather than with institutional structures or factional interests within the military.

The timing of these investigations comes amid increasing geopolitical tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. China has been asserting its military presence more aggressively in the South China Sea and around Taiwan, which it considers part of its territory.

The shake-up also coincides with the release of the United States’ new National Defense Strategy, which explicitly acknowledges China as a military power that needs to be deterred from dominating the U.S. or its allies. However, the American strategy document strikes a measured tone, stating: “This does not require regime change or some other existential struggle. Rather, a decent peace, on terms favorable to Americans but that China can also accept and live under, is possible.”

For China’s military, these high-level investigations are likely to create significant uncertainty within the ranks. The People’s Liberation Army, which includes ground forces, navy, air force, rocket force, and strategic support force, has been undergoing an extensive modernization program aimed at transforming it into a “world-class” fighting force by mid-century.

Military experts suggest that such public investigations of top commanders may temporarily disrupt chains of command but ultimately serve Xi’s goal of creating a more disciplined, professional, and politically reliable military establishment aligned with his vision for China’s future.

As the investigations proceed, observers will be watching closely to see if they expand to include additional senior officers or if they signal a shift in China’s military priorities or international posture. The outcome could have significant implications for both China’s domestic politics and its relationships with regional neighbors and global powers.