In a surprise move, President Xi Jinping removed the two top military figures, Zhang Youxia, the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (SCM), the highest body of the Chinese government, and Liu Zhenli, the head of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department. The Ministry of National Defense on January 24 announced that the two were suspected of “serious violations of discipline and law,” possibly indicating corruption or bribery. It went on to say that the two had “trampled on and undermined” the “CMC chairman responsibility system” and their conduct had “seriously fuelled political and corruption issues that affect the party’s absolute leadership over the military and endangered the party’s ruling foundation, seriously affecting the image and prestige of the CMC leadership team.” The statement also indicated that they had undermined the attempt to create loyalty to the government and undermined combat readiness.
Over the last period in particular there have been numerous such “purges” in the Chinese military, including the firing of the Defense Minister Li Shengfu in 2023.These firings, however, have led to major press speculation, given the fact that Zhang Youxia had a long relationship with President Xi, both of whose fathers had been heroes of the People’s Liberation Army. The wild speculations go from the Wall Street Journal’s claim that Zhang had revealed China’s nuclear secrets to the U.S. and a statement in the Russian Military Review talking of an attempted coup against Xi. Given the intense debate in China over how far to go in “getting along” with given the generally hostile attitude of the Trump Administration to China, as has been mooted in the Russian press.
