China’s defence ministry has said that one of the country’s most senior military leaders is under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law, marking one of the highest-profile probes into the military leadership in recent years.
The ministry said on Saturday that Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and Liu Zhenli, chief of staff of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department, are being investigated. The CMC is China’s top military decision-making body, chaired by President Xi Jinping.
Zhang Youxia is considered one of President Xi’s closest military allies and serves as the second-most powerful officer in the Chinese armed forces. He is also a member of the Communist Party’s elite Politburo and among the few top commanders with combat experience.
Military Crackdown Continues China’s military has been a major focus of President Xi’s anti-corruption campaign since he came to power in 2012. The crackdown intensified in 2023 when senior officers of the strategic Rocket Force were targeted.
Zhang’s investigation marks only the second time since the 1966–76 Cultural Revolution that a sitting vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission has faced removal. He has not appeared in public since November 20, when he met Russia’s defence minister in Moscow.
Diplomats and security analysts are closely monitoring developments, given Zhang’s influence and the role of the military commission in overseeing China’s ongoing military modernisation.
China’s Expanding Military Posture Although China has not fought a major war in decades, it has taken a more assertive stance in regional disputes, including in the East China Sea, the South China Sea, and over Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own. Late last year, China conducted its largest-ever military exercises around Taiwan.
Singapore-based security analyst James Char said routine military operations are likely to continue despite leadership changes. However, he noted that the investigation of Zhang suggests President Xi may be responding to criticism that the anti-corruption drive had previously spared some senior figures.
Char said interim appointments have been used to fill vacant posts and that China’s military modernisation goals remain unchanged, with targets set for 2035 to complete modernisation and 2049 to become a world-class military force.
Previous Purges Zhang is the second CMC vice-chairman to fall under investigation in recent months. Former vice-chairman He Weidong was expelled from the Communist Party and the military in October last year on corruption charges and later replaced.
In October 2025, eight senior generals were expelled from the Communist Party over graft allegations. Two former defence ministers have also been removed from the party in recent years as part of the ongoing crackdown.
Analysts say the campaign has slowed some weapons procurement programmes and affected revenues at major Chinese defence companies.
Both President Xi and Zhang Youxia are from Shaanxi province and are sons of veteran revolutionaries who fought together in China’s civil war.
Born in Beijing, Zhang joined the People’s Liberation Army in 1968 and rose steadily through the ranks. He joined the Central Military Commission in 2012, during the early phase of China’s military modernization drive.
According to a U.S. Pentagon report released in 2023, Zhang was expected to retire in 2022 under normal military practice. His continued service was seen as reflecting President Xi’s trust in him as a key military adviser.
Zhang fought in China’s 1979 border war with Vietnam and again during clashes in 1984. Chinese state media have previously described him as a capable frontline commander who later became a strong advocate of military reform and modernization.
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