Overview
- China’s Ministry of National Defense said Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli are under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and the law.”
- An editorial in PLA Daily, carried by Xinhua, accused the two generals of undermining Xi Jinping’s authority, worsening corruption, and harming real-combat preparedness.
- Zhang is the first vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and a Politburo member, while Liu serves as chief of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department.
- Both figures had been absent from public events since November, a gap noted by observers before the official announcement of the probes.
- The actions extend Xi Jinping’s yearslong anti-corruption campaign within the PLA; details of the allegations remain undisclosed, and anonymously sourced reports of detention and corruption have not been officially confirmed.