According to sources cited by Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, Zhang Youxia, the second-in-command of the Chinese Communist Party’s military, has been placed under investigation for failing to report issues to party leaders in a timely manner.
On Saturday, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense issued a brief statement stating that Zhang Youxia, a member of the Central Political Bureau and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli, a member of the Central Military Commission and Chief of Staff of the General Staff Department, are “suspected of serious violations of discipline and law” and are under investigation.
The South China Morning Post reported on Saturday that sources revealed Zhang Youxia is accused of corruption and failure to restrain his close associates, family members, and relatives.
The source also mentioned that Zhang Youxia was criticized for not reporting issues to party leaders promptly. Due to the sensitivity of the situation, the source refused to disclose their identity.
Another informed source disclosed that Zhang Youxia was formally detained by the military’s anti-corruption department on Monday, the 19th.
In a broadcast on Tuesday evening by CCTV, the official mouthpiece of the CCP, it was shown that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were absent from the opening ceremony of a “special study session” for provincial and ministerial-level officials presided over by Xi Jinping, sparking widespread speculation about their political fates.
On Friday, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli continued to be absent from the closing ceremony of the study session, leading to various rumors circulating.
At 75 years old, Zhang Youxia and 61 years old, Liu Zhenli are two of the seven members of the Central Military Commission with actual combat experience, having participated in the Vietnam War in the late 1970s.
Their investigation marks a near complete restructuring of the Central Military Commission established after the CCP’s 20th Congress at the end of 2022, which is unprecedented in history.
Currently, Zhang Shimin has become the sole military official within the Central Military Commission of the CCP. He was promoted to Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission in October 2025.