On January 24th, the Ministry of National Defense of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced that Zhang Youxia, member of the Central Political Bureau and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli, member of the Central Military Commission and Chief of the Joint Staff Department, are “suspected of serious violations of discipline and law” and are under investigation. This announcement confirmed previous rumors.
According to CCTV news citing the Ministry of National Defense, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli are suspected of serious violations of discipline and law. After central research, it was decided to initiate an investigation into Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli.
Earlier, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were absent from the opening ceremony of a special seminar for provincial and ministerial-level officials of the CCP on January 20th, and continued to be absent from the closing ceremony on January 23rd, sparking widespread rumors.
Independent commentator Cai Shunkun posted on social media on January 23rd that the news of the arrest of 17 senior military leaders, including Zhang Youxia, was “absolutely accurate.” Lieutenant Generals Liu Zhenli, Xiao Tianliang, Major General Zhong Shaojun, were also arrested, with the participation of the Ministry of Public Security, the Central Guard Bureau, and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in the operation, which is tantamount to a significant military crackdown.
He mentioned that a large number of military officers are expected to be arrested next. “The news of Zhang Youxia and others being arrested was reported to provincial and ministerial-level officials yesterday afternoon and will be conveyed to deputy provincial-level officials today.”
The day before, Cai Shunkun posted: “Latest information confirms: Zhang Youxia, Liu Zhenli, and Zhong Shaojun were all arrested, along with all of Zhang Youxia’s family members. Not only did Zhang Youxia miss the opening ceremony of the special seminar on studying and implementing the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee for provincial and ministerial-level cadres, but he also missed the scheduled annual activities of the National Defense University. More importantly, the former Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Wei Fulin, passed away, and the wreath sent by Zhang Youxia was notified to be removed at the last minute.”
Earlier on January 20th, Australian freelance journalist Jiang Wang disclosed on social media that Zhang Youxia had been summoned, and his son, confidential secretary, and Liu Zhenli were all under investigation.
Shen Mingshi, a researcher at the Taiwan Institute of National Defense and Security Studies, told Dajiyuan that since the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP in 2024, infighting among the CCP high-ranking officials has been escalating, and there may be another wave of power struggles among high-ranking officials before the “Two Sessions” in March this year, which may be related to the power arrangements of the CCP high-ranking officials before the 21st National Congress.
Yuan Hongbing, a legal scholar studying in Australia, believes that the distrust of Xi Jinping by CCP members and officials, as well as the deepening despair about the future of the CCP, will intensify rapidly. Xi Jinping will face a political crisis in 2026, and the crisis within the military is an extreme manifestation of the overall political crisis.
Yuan Hongbing said that people see that almost all active CCP generals are about to be wiped out, in fact, the purge extends to generals and colonels, and even officers at the rank of colonel are facing extensive purges. Former member of the Military Commission, Miao Hua, and his secretaries have confessed to over three thousand disloyal military officers to Xi Jinping. “Xi Jinping’s so-called self-revolution through major purges has effectively destroyed various levels of commanding organs in the CCP’s military. 2026 will be the weakest year for the CCP’s military!”
Yuan Hongbing also mentioned that Xi Jinping believed that the major purge could ensure the loyalty of the military to him, but the newly promoted military officers are likely to repeat the vicious cycle of disloyalty to him.