On September 21st, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officially announced that former Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, and former Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Military Commission, Liu Zhenli, have been expelled from the Party and the military, and have been referred to military procuratorial authorities. According to insiders within the CCP system, the decision regarding the handling of the case was originally scheduled to be announced at the Fifth Plenary Session in October. However, due to Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to the United States, the announcement was suddenly made earlier. The purge of Zhang Youxia has continued to cause strong dissatisfaction within the military.
After the CCP Central Political Bureau reviewed and approved the relevant investigation report, it was reported that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were accused of “dissociating from the Party and lacking in morals,” “forming cliques,” and “not being loyal and honest to the Party.” The report also indicated that their political and economic issues were intertwined, with particularly large amounts involved.
A civilian employee at a certain military district in the CCP, Mr. Sun, told reporters that the official statements indicate that the cases of Zhang and Liu have surpassed general corruption problems, involving political loyalty and factional struggles within the CCP’s military. Another insider within the CCP’s military system, Mr. Feng, revealed to Dajiyuan that the decision on the handling of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli’s cases was originally scheduled to be announced at the CCP’s Fifth Plenary Session in October. However, due to Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States this week, the authorities changed their plans and announced it earlier on September 21st during the CCP Central Political Bureau meeting.
Mr. Feng stated that the delayed announcement of the decision on Zhang and Liu’s cases within the CCP had been repeatedly postponed, and the CCP Central authorities had originally decided to wait for the Fifth Plenary Session to handle the matter. However, Xi Jinping abruptly requested an early announcement, intending to “put the matter to rest” and draw a conclusion on the political status of Zhang and Liu. “In the words of the top leadership, it’s a done deal. Their fate is irreversible, putting an end to the debate.”
On January 24th of this year, the CCP’s Ministry of National Defense announced an investigation into Zhang and Liu. On August 28th, the NPC Standing Committee removed Zhang Youxia from his position as Vice Chairman of the State Central Military Commission and Liu Zhenli from his position as a member of the State Central Military Commission. Mr. Feng further disclosed that the purge of Zhang Youxia has sparked strong dissatisfaction within the CCP Central and military circles. The Central Military Commission had requested the military publicly support the decision, but many military units and personnel refused to cooperate.
He revealed, “From what I understand, there is a lot of discontent within the Central authorities and the military regarding the purge of Zhang Youxia. Many military units have refused to publicly support the decision as requested by the Central Military Commission. This may be the first time in decades that there has been such a widespread refusal to show public support within the CCP’s military, involving possibly millions, which is very rare.”
The claims mentioned above cannot be independently confirmed through the CCP’s public channels. However, the fact that the CCP officially listed “forming cliques” and “not being loyal and honest to the Party” as the main issues for Zhang and Liu, emphasizing that “political problems are intertwined with economic issues,” indicates that Beijing’s focus on both individuals goes beyond just economic corruption, and extends to their political stance within the military and power alliances.
Zhang Youxia was once seen as an important ally of Xi Jinping within the military and one of the few high-ranking CCP officials with combat experience. His father, Zhang Zongsun, and Xi Jinping’s father, Xi Zhongxun, were both CCP veterans, which is why the relationship between the Zhang and Xi families had long been considered close.
Xie Ren, a descendant of the first generation of CCP leaders who knew Zhang Youxia during childhood, revealed that Zhang grew up under the care of a nanny from the former Soviet Union, and that his first language was not Mandarin, but Russian. “This was before the Cultural Revolution, I remember during school, the nanny in Zhang Youxia’s home was a Russian woman. At that time, Zhang Youxia could speak Russian, and he didn’t know Xi Jinping at the time. If Zhang Youxia knew Xi Jinping during his childhood, I should also have known Xi Jinping, but I haven’t heard of it.”
With Zhang Youxia now being accused of “disloyalty” and “forming cliques,” it shows that Xi Jinping’s crisis of trust in the top military leadership has extended to the core circle. Xie Ren mentioned that the childhood Zhang Youxia he knew was very mischievous but had a strong character. He achieved military merits, took part in military restructuring, and being a “second-generation red,” he had gained Xi Jinping’s trust. “I never expected that Zhang Youxia would also get involved, making the positions of Vice Chairman, Member, and Minister of the Military Commission all high-risk careers.”
Since 2023, top officials in the CCP’s Rocket Force, Equipment Development Department, and the Central Military Commission have been successively purged. The former 7-member leadership of the Central Military Commission has now been reduced to only Xi Jinping and Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin. Several senior military leaders responsible for political work within the military, equipment procurement, and operational command have been taken down, indicating that Xi Jinping’s purging of the military has expanded from individual corruption cases to the entire military power structure.