China’s political and military landscape is undergoing a rare and dramatic upheaval as General Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and one of the most senior uniformed officers in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), was placed under investigation on January 24, 2026, for “serious violations of discipline and law,” in the most high-profile purge of military leadership in decades.
In a terse announcement, China’s Ministry of National Defence said Zhang and General Liu Zhenli, chief of staff of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department, were being probed following a decision by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee. Both were accused of having “severely trampled on and undermined the CMC Chairman responsibility system,” a phrase that emphasises political, not merely administrative, deficiencies.
Zhang’s investigation is significant not merely because he is second in command under Xi Jinping, but because he was widely seen as a key ally of Xi and a leading figure in efforts to modernise the PLA. His fall marks the most senior military leadership removal since the epochal Lin Biao incident of 1971, which underscored factional tension within the CCP and triggered decades of institutional reforms.
The development comes amid a sweeping purge of military commanders that has intensified since late 2022, when Xi secured a third term at the 20th Party Congress, breaking longstanding norms on leadership succession. Analysts say that while the official narrative frames the probe as part of an anti-corruption drive first launched after Xi took power in 2012, the targeting of senior generals may also reflect deeper concerns about loyalty, factional alignment, and Xi’s effort to tighten personal control over the armed forces.
In October 2025, for example, He Weidong, then the other CMC vice-chair, was expelled from the CCP and PLA on corruption charge – a removal described in Western press as part of ongoing leadership realignment. That month, Zhang Shengmin, a PLA Rocket Force veteran and head of the CMC Commission for Discipline Inspection, was elevated to replace He as vice-chairman.
Observers note that Zhang and Liu’s removal at this moment may have been foreshadowed by their absence from public duties in late 2025, a common precursor in China’s elite politics to formal investigation and indictment. Such patterns have repeated across Xi’s anti-corruption campaign, which has seen hundreds of senior officials, including senior military figures, disciplined or dismissed since 2012.
Foreign governments are also watching these developments closely. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said it is “monitoring abnormal military leadership changes” after the Zhang announcement, reiterating that Beijing’s military posturing remains a core security concern despite internal turbulence.
The purge’s military implications, analysts say, are double-edged. On one hand, sidelining experienced commanders like Zhang could disrupt continuity in leadership, doctrine, and modernisation plans. On the other, Xi’s firm control over personnel decisions reinforces the PLA’s subordination to the CCP and, in Xi’s framing, eliminates potential centres of autonomous power within the military hierarchy.
Some sources suggest that the charges against Zhang and Liu extend beyond corruption and may involve disagreements over PLA strategy and timing, particularly regarding timelines for joint operational readiness. In such accounts, the alleged conflict reflects broader tensions between institutional military professionalism and top-down political control.
Regardless of the underlying drivers, Zhang Youxia’s fall from grace underscores the dramatic consolidation of power by Xi Jinping within both the Party and the PLA. China watchers note that as the CMC shrinks around Xi’s immediate circle, the political cost of dissent rises sharply within the CCP’s elite.
As the CCP prepares for the next major political events on its calendar, this purge of military leadership may well shape not only internal power dynamics but also Beijing’s posture on issues such as regional security, military modernisation, and relations with Taiwan and other neighbours.
