China has opened an investigation into senior military official Zhang Youxia, a move analysts describe as an unusual and high-profile twist in the country’s ongoing military shake-up. China’s defense ministry said Zhang and another senior official, Liu Zhenli, are being investigated for suspected serious violations of discipline and law.
Zhang is a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and a member of the Communist Party’s Political Bureau, while Liu is a CMC member and chief of staff of the CMC Joint Staff Department. Chinese state media described the suspected wrongdoing as “serious violations of discipline and law,” wording commonly used as an official euphemism for corruption, according to analysts cited by Channel News Asia.
Announcement and key roles
China’s defense ministry announced the investigations on Saturday, Jan 24, according to Xinhua and Channel News Asia. The defense ministry said the decision to place Zhang and Liu under investigation was made by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.
In Xinhua’s description, Zhang is a vice chairman of the CMC and a Political Bureau member, and Liu is a CMC member who serves as chief of staff of the CMC Joint Staff Department. Channel News Asia reported that both men were placed under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law.”
Why the Zhang case stands out
Analysts told Channel News Asia that Zhang’s case is extraordinary because of his senior rank and his proximity to President Xi Jinping. Channel News Asia described Zhang as a war veteran and the son of a founding People’s Liberation Army general, and said he has been viewed as one of Xi’s longest-serving allies in uniform.
One analyst, Yang Zi of Singapore’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said it is “very unusual” for someone with Zhang’s service record and personal ties to Xi to be investigated. Another analyst, Lin Ying-yu of Tamkang University in Taiwan, said the development suggests there are “no absolute relationships” in Xi’s remaking of the military.
Channel News Asia also reported that Zhang, 75, fought in the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese border war and later commanded multiple key military regions. The outlet said Zhang’s career track included oversight of operations, training, and weapons development.
Public signals before the probe
Channel News Asia said the announcement followed about a week of speculation in overseas Chinese-language and Taiwan-based media that Zhang could be in trouble. The outlet reported that the speculation focused on Zhang’s absence from a Jan 20 high-level study session attended by senior party and military leaders.
Channel News Asia said Zhang and Liu were last seen in public on Dec 22, when they attended a CMC ceremony conferring the rank of general on two senior officers. The report said Xi, who is also CMC chairman, attended that ceremony and Zhang read out promotion orders signed by Xi, according to CCTV footage cited by Channel News Asia.
A reshaped CMC and wider purge
Channel News Asia said the CMC began its current term after the 20th Party Congress in 2022 with seven members: Xi as chairman, two vice-chairmen, and four other members. It added that three members have been removed since then amid an anti-corruption campaign within the PLA that intensified from 2023 and reached senior figures in the Rocket Force, the People’s Armed Police, and multiple theater commands.
Channel News Asia reported that former defense minister Li Shangfu was expelled from the Communist Party in June 2024 after an investigation for serious violations, and that his case was transferred to the military judiciary for criminal prosecution. The outlet also said Xi’s campaign has previously ensnared former defense ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, retired CMC vice-chairmen Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong, and a serving CMC vice-chair, He Weidong, who it said was removed in October last year.
The outlet said Saturday’s revelation further reduces an already diminished CMC and leaves it “effectively centred” on Xi and vice-chair Zhang Shengmin, whom it described as a long-time discipline official. Dylan Loh of Nanyang Technological University told Channel News Asia the situation was “remarkable,” saying the top body was “essentially left to two people, one of whom is Xi.”
Potential impact on the military
Observers cited by Channel News Asia warned that turbulence at the top could affect the chain of command by slowing decision-making and encouraging risk aversion, at least in the short term. The outlet also reported concerns that with the CMC now heavily weighted toward political oversight, questions remain about how candidly operational risk assessments will be conveyed.
At the same time, analysts told Channel News Asia that the shake-up does not necessarily mean the PLA cannot act, but may reflect an inward focus as Xi seeks to restore discipline and shape a senior command aligned with his priorities ahead of the next political cycle. Channel News Asia said analysts will be watching who is promoted next, with new appointments seen as a key signal of where the PLA is heading.
