A top commander in the Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China has been purged, signaling that even Beijing insiders close to Xi Jinping are at risk of being ousted.
Gen. Zhang Youxia, who also sits as a member of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party, was dismissed from his role as vice chairman of the military commission under suspicion of “grave violations of discipline and law.”
He was punished alongside Gen. Liu Zhenli, the chief of staff of the Central Military Commission’s Joint Staff Department.
“The resolute investigation and punishment of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli is a major achievement in the Party and the military’s anti-corruption struggle, an important manifestation of the Party and the military’s determination and strength, and is of great significance for winning the overall, protracted, and decisive battle against corruption in the military,” an editorial in the state-owned People’s Liberation Army Daily declared Saturday.
The editorial went on to accuse the two generals of having “seriously fostered political and corruption problems that undermined the Party’s absolute leadership over the military and threatened the Party’s ruling foundation.”
It also claimed they have “seriously damaged the image and prestige of the Central Military Commission, and severely impacted the political and ideological foundation for unity and progress among all officers and soldiers.”
Zhang is the more surprising of the two dismissals — the 75-year-old party fixture has long been thought too powerful and too trusted to be affected by the waves of purges that have rocked the Chinese military for years.
The content and style of the charges published in CCP-operated media outlets seem to indicate that the primary complaint relates to disloyalty toward paramount leader Xi Jinping, who previously considered Zhang one of his closest allies.
Xi and Zhang were both raised as “princelings” or “red heirs” — children of prominent Communist Party officials who were groomed for leadership from a young age and excelled in politics through nepotism and elite connections. Their fathers fought side by side in the civil war, which ultimately installed Mao Zedong to power and ushered in the People’s Republic.
The granular details of Zhang’s alleged crimes remain unclear, spurring widespread speculation among experts.
A report published in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday claimed Zhang’s preeminent crime was leaking nuclear secrets to the United States, citing anonymous sources, but purges of lower-ranking officials have been ongoing for much lesser crimes.
Xi has been spearheading an anticorruption campaign within the Chinese military for years, seeking to dismantle political cliques and disband networks used to share influence and resources to enrich members.
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Over 50 high-ranking military and defense officials have been purged since the campaign began in 2023, with countless more removed at lower levels.
Having almost entirely gutted the command structure of the Central Military Commission, Xi now enjoys near-unilateral control of the People’s Liberation Army.