China's military purge: Xi Jinping removes top general amid a wave of removals
Zhang Youxia had risen through the military and political ranks to become vice-chairman of a commission that controls the People's Liberation Army. Among the accusations against him was that he had leaked information on China's nuclear program to the United States.
Zhang Youxia (middle) during the National People's Congress.
A Chinese military purge is underway. One of the top military officials under the president, Xi Jinping, has been deposed after being placed under investigation for corruption. The news comes amid a series of removals and demotions from military positions in the country.
Zhang Youxia was vice-chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), the body that controls the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Xi has held the chairmanship of that commission since 2012.
Over the weekend, Beijing announced an investigation for "serious violations of discipline" against both Zhang and another high-ranking official. According to The Wall Street Journal, among the accusations against the now former general are those of conspiracy, accepting bribes in exchange for favors and even leaking nuclear information to the United States.
His profile on the Chinese Defense Ministry's official website, still available hours after his dismissal, showed a rise from military and party post since he joined the Army in 1968 and the Communist formation in 1969. Until he reached, at 75 years old, the highest ranks: rank of general, membership in the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and vice-chairmanship in the CMC.
Zhang Youxia shared the second CMC post with Zhang Shengmin, who replaced another general dismissed last year in an alleged anti-corruption operation.
"It's safe to say the PLA has not been in this much turmoil since the Cultural Revolution," Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asian Society Policy Institute's China Analysis Center, told Japanese media Nikkei Asia. "It means all senior PLA officers with connections to Zhang and Liu are under scrutiny, and distrust is at an all-time high."
Zhang Youxia's dismissal is the biggest military removal in years. Of the seven members who formerly made up the CMC, two remain. One is Xi himself. In 2023, the president launched a purge in the Army that cut several posts in the different branches of the Armed Forces. This was accompanied by cuts and sanctions throughout the state.
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