China expelled two top military generals from the Chinese Communist Party on corruption and disloyalty charges as part of an ongoing anti-corruption purge led by President Xi Jinping. Zhang Youxia, the Central Military Commission vice chairman and Xi’s close ally, along with CMC member and Joint Staff Department chief of staff Liu Zhenli, were investigated starting in January and removed from the military in late August.
State media reported that both officials formed cliques and factions while violating political discipline. These expulsions leave only two active members on the formerly seven-member Central Military Commission. The purge coincides with preparations for a key Communist Party assembly on internal governance and precedes a scheduled meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump in Washington. Previous high-profile military removals include former Defence Minister Li Shangfu in June 2024, reflecting an unprecedented crackdown that has investigated millions of bureaucrats.
The removal of General Zhang Youxia from the Central Military Commission strips the People's Liberation Army of its most senior operational link to historical combat experience. Such sweeping purges at the apex of the Joint Staff Department create institutional risk by disrupting long-standing command relationships ahead of major strategic milestones.
Purges of this magnitude routinely generate severe command friction within the CMC, slowing decision-making cycles across theater commands during critical modernization phases.
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