China Expels Top Military General Zhang Youxia & Liu Zhenli Over 'Disloyalty'

China on Monday expelled two senior military generals from the Communist Party and the military, including the People's Liberation Army's highest-ranking uniformed officer, in another sign of President Xi Jinping's widening purge. The move was formally endorsed at a Politburo meeting chaired by Xi, Chinese state media reported, as published by Livemint.

The two generals ,former Central Military Commission Vice-Chairman Zhang Youxia, 75, and former Chief of Staff of the CMC's Joint Staff Department Liu Zhenli, 61 - were removed amid allegations of corruption, disloyalty and serious disciplinary violations. Reuters reported that their removal followed investigations into alleged misconduct.

The move matters because Zhang was the PLA's top uniformed officer and one of Xi's most powerful military figures. Xi has repeatedly stressed the need for absolute loyalty to the Communist Party and strict discipline within the armed forces, according to Xinhua.

Charges And Findings

Chinese authorities accused the two former military leaders of violating political discipline and party rules, failing to uphold party principles, and failing to properly supervise their subordinates and family members.

State-run Xinhua, citing official documents, reported that Zhang and Liu had “seriously violated political discipline and political rules” and had formed “cliques and factions” while being “disloyal” to the Communist Party.

Xinhua also reported that the alleged political and economic misconduct was linked to corruption, dereliction of duty and abuse of office. The alleged offences involved exceptionally large sums of money and were considered extremely serious by the Chinese leadership.

Investigations And Removals

Investigations into Zhang and Liu were announced in January. Both men were then removed from China's state Central Military Commission in late August, Reuters reported. Zhang was also formally detained by military corruption investigators that month.

Both men had been members of the Central Military Commission, China's highest military command body, which Xi heads.

Zhang had served as the CMC's first-ranking vice-chairman and was the highest-ranking uniformed officer in the Chinese military. That position also made him one of the most powerful military figures under Xi.

Zhang and Liu were senior PLA commanders with combat experience and had taken part in China's military campaign against Vietnam in the late 1970s. They were the only two members of the CMC with combat experience, according to PTI. Zhang had also long been seen as a close military ally of Xi.

Xi's Broader Purge

The expulsions form part of Xi's broader anti-corruption and discipline campaign launched after he came to power in 2012. Xi has overseen a wide crackdown across China's bureaucracy, with millions of officials investigated or disciplined to varying degrees, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The military has become a major target of that campaign. Several senior PLA figures have been removed in recent years amid corruption investigations, raising questions over misconduct in the armed forces and Xi's efforts to tighten political control over the military.

The PLA is controlled by the Communist Party through the Central Military Commission rather than operating as an independent military institution. Xi chairs the CMC and has repeatedly stressed absolute loyalty to the party and strict discipline in the armed forces, according to Xinhua.

Following the removals, only two active figures remain on the previously seven-member CMC, including Xi himself as chairman.