China has removed two of its most senior military officers.
Deepening a sweeping purge that has raised fresh questions about the state of the country’s armed forces.
Zhang Youxia, once China’s highest-ranking general and a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), was dismissed on Friday.
Liu Zhenli, who headed the body’s joint staff department overseeing combat planning, was also dismissed.
Why the dramatic move? Both men were announced in January as being investigated for “serious violations of discipline and the law.”
This language is commonly associated with corruption.
Zhang’s removal is particularly striking. He was considered close to President Xi Jinping, making his downfall a major shock to observers.
The CMC, chaired by Xi, is China’s top military decision-making body.
Asia Society analyst Lyle Morris explained that although China technically has separate state and Communist Party military commissions, “for practical purposes” they function as one.
Military Loyalty Tightened
The shake-up leaves the seven-member CMC with only two known figures: Xi himself and anti-corruption chief Zhang Shengmin.
Even more striking, the fate and whereabouts of Zhang and Liu remain unclear, while authorities have provided few details about the allegations.
The PLA has accused the pair of undermining the principle that ultimate authority rests with Xi.
With two top generals now gone, the message from Beijing seems unmistakable.
In China’s military, loyalty and discipline remain inseparable from power.
