China’s top general is under investigation for corruption in a dramatic escalation of a purge of the military leadership that has left president Xi Jinping in sole operational command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The defence ministry said that Zhang Youxia, vice-chair of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the most senior uniformed officer in the armed forces is suspected of “serious discipline violations and violations of the law”.
The ministry said that Liu Zhenli, another general on the CMC and chief of the PLA’s joint staff, is also under investigation. The latest moves follow last year’s purge of He Weidong, the second most senior general in the PLA after Mr Zhang.
Mr Zhang was a member of the politburo, the top decision-making body of the Communist Party and his father fought alongside Mr Xi’s under Mao Zedong during China’s civil war. Mr Zhang and Mr Liu were the only remaining generals in the CMC with combat experience, having fought against the Vietnamese in the late 1970s, the last time China went to war.
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It leaves the CMC, which usually has seven members, with just two: Mr Xi who chairs the body and Zhang Shengmin, the disciplinary chief of the PLA. The PLA Daily said on Sunday that the latest arrests showed that Mr Xi’s campaign against corruption had no “off-limit zones” and zero tolerance.
“It signifies that no matter how many people are involved or how deep the implications run, they will be investigated. This fully highlights our Party’s rock-solid will to carry the anti-corruption struggle through to the end, and solemnly declares the firm stance that no matter who the person is or how high their position, engaging in corruption will never be tolerated,” the paper said.
The campaign against corruption has been a central feature of Mr Xi’s leadership since 2012 and the Communist Party disciplinary bodies punished 983,000 people in 2025. This is an increase of more than 10 per cent over 2024 and means that in a single year, the party disciplined almost 1 per cent of its entire membership.
The PLA Daily suggested in an editorial that Mr Zhang and Mr Liu were not only accused of corruption but were undermining Mr Xi’s authority over the PLA.
“They have seriously trampled upon and undermined the CMC Chairman Responsibility System, seriously fuelled political and corruption issues that affect the Party’s absolute leadership over the military and endanger the Party’s ruling foundation, seriously affected the image and prestige of the CMC leadership team, and seriously impacted the political and ideological foundation of the unity and forge-ahead spirit of all officers and soldiers,” the paper said.
“They have caused immense damage to the military’s political construction, political ecology, and combat capability construction, and have had an extremely vile influence on the Party, the state, and the military.”
Although Mr Xi’s purges of the military leadership have seen him tighten his grip on the PLA, they could impact its operational effectiveness.
Mr Xi wants the PLA to make “significant progress” by next year on a modernisation plan which should be complete by 2035 so that China should have a “world class” military by 2049, the centenary of the People’s Republic.
