Xi Jinping’s campaign against corruption in China has targeted millions of Communist Party members over the past 12 years, including members of its top decision-making body, the politburo. The purge of senior figures in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been sweeping in recent years, with dozens of the most senior officers among those targeted.
But last Saturday’s news that Zhang Youxia, China’s most senior general, was under investigation for “serious discipline violations” was the most dramatic escalation of the purge to date. Zhang is the vice-chair of the Central Military Commission (CMC) which Xi Jinping chairs, and a member of the Communist Party’s politburo.
Liu Zhenli, the chief of the PLA’s joint staff who is also under investigation, is also a member of the CMC, which had seven members when its current term started in 2022. Now just two are left, Xi and a general who is the PLA’s disciplinary chief.
Zhang was long regarded as untouchable, partly because of his lifelong association with Xi, whom he knew since childhood. He was also one of the most experienced soldiers in the PLA and he and Liu were the only generals at the top of the armed forces with combat experience. Both men fought in the campaign against Vietnam in the late 1970s, the last time China went to war.
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Although official media reports said Zhang and Liu were suspected of corruption, they hinted at something more, suggesting that their actions undermined Xi’s authority as the chairman of the CMC. This has led to frenzied speculation outside China, with rumours that Zhang was plotting a coup against Xi and reports that he was caught selling nuclear secrets to the United States.
Much of this speculation may be wishful thinking but the loss of such senior figures must have an impact on the morale and operational efficiency of the PLA. Beijing will probably continue to conduct menacing military exercises around Taiwan but the purge of the military leadership could slow down the timetable for any attempt to take control of the self-governing island by force.
