Overview
- China’s Ministry of National Defense said on January 24 that CMC Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia and Joint Staff Chief Liu Zhenli are under investigation for serious discipline and legal violations, with no details disclosed.
- An editorial in the PLA Daily on January 25 accused the two of betraying the Party’s trust and violating the CMC chairman responsibility system, signaling concerns about their loyalty to Xi Jinping.
- Reporting links the cases to ongoing large-scale military corruption probes, and five of the six CMC members other than Xi have now faced discipline or investigations, raising concerns about command continuity.
- Zhang, long seen as close to Xi and retained past the informal retirement age, previously oversaw procurement-related portfolios that have been scrutinized for graft, while Liu rose from the army to lead the Joint Staff Department.
- The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed sources, that Zhang is suspected of leaking nuclear weapons program secrets to the United States, a claim Chinese authorities have not confirmed.