China’s defense ministry announced Friday it has opened an investigation into General Zhang Youxia, the country’s highest-ranking general, over “grave violations of discipline and the law.” The ministry provided no additional details about the accusations, though such language typically serves as a euphemism for corruption in China. Another senior military officer, General Liu Zhenli, is also under investigation. The announcement follows the expulsion of nine top generals in October, representing one of the largest public military crackdowns in decades.
Zhang, 75, serves as vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, the Communist Party body headed by President Xi that controls the armed forces. He also sits on the party’s 24-person Politburo and is the son of a founding general of the Chinese Communist Party. Having joined the army in 1968, Zhang is among the few senior leaders with combat experience and had been kept in office beyond the customary retirement age, suggesting Xi’s confidence in him until now. Speculation about the investigation emerged after Zhang and Liu were notably absent from a high-level party event in December.
Since assuming power, President Xi has launched waves of anti-corruption drives, recently focusing heavily on the military. He has called corruption “the biggest threat” to the Communist Party and said the fight against it “remains grave and complex.” While advocates claim the policy promotes good governance, critics believe it has been used to purge political rivals. With the probe into Zhang and Liu, the Central Military Commission is now reduced from seven members to just two.