China has removed two of its most senior military officers from the country’s supreme military command body, the Central Military Commission (CMC), following investigations into suspected serious violations of discipline and law. The move marks another major development in President Xi Jinping’s long-running anti-corruption campaign, which has swept through the military, Communist Party, government and state-owned enterprises since he came to power in 2012.
The removal of CMC Vice-Chairman Zhang Youxia and CMC member Liu Zhenli leaves only two active members on what was previously a seven-member commission, including Xi Jinping, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Zhang, 75, was the second-highest-ranking official in the CMC and also served as a member of the Politburo. Liu was a member of the CMC and headed its Joint Staff Department.
Xi’s military crackdown
The Chinese military has been a major focus of Xi’s anti-corruption drive. The campaign has led to the investigation, removal and expulsion of dozens of senior military officials and generals over the years.
Last month, Xi called on senior Communist Party leaders to step up efforts to tackle corruption within the armed forces, underlining his continued focus on the issue.
China maintains separate Communist Party and state Central Military Commissions, but both operate as a single institution. Friday’s announcement by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress relates to Zhang and Liu’s positions in the state CMC.
12 lawmakers lose NPC seats
The two generals were also among 12 lawmakers whose names were removed from an updated list of deputies published by the National People’s Congress on Friday, indicating that they had formally lost their seats, Reuters reported.
The list included Lieutenant General Zhong Shaojun, former director of the CMC General Office, and General Ju Qiansheng, former commander of the People’s Liberation Army’s Strategic Support Force.
Gao Shiwen, former mayor of Nanchang in southern China and a former official at state-owned aerospace and defence company China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, was also removed.
Galwan commander Zhao Zongqi stripped of post
The latest removals come days after China’s top political advisory body stripped Zhao Zongqi, former commander of the PLA’s Western Theatre Command, of his membership.
Zhao has combat experience from the Sino-Vietnamese war and was in charge of the Western Theatre Command during the 2017 Doklam standoff and the 2020 China-India border tensions.
The command oversees Chinese military operations across Tibet and Xinjiang and along a large part of the country’s border with India.
According to India Today, Zhao led the Western Theatre Command during the Galwan Valley clash in 2020. He was later reported to have authorised the operation to “teach India a lesson”.
Zhao was stripped of his membership of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and removed from two other positions. Beijing has not publicly provided a reason for the move or announced an investigation against him.
Defence sector also under scrutiny
China’s defence establishment has faced a series of corruption cases as part of Xi’s wider crackdown.
Earlier this month, a Chinese court sentenced Zhang Jianhua, a former deputy head of the country’s defence industry regulator, to 10 years in prison for bribery.
According to the first-instance verdict cited by Xinhua, Zhang illegally accepted more than 55 million yuan ($8.15 million) between 2008 and 2025 while working at the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND), as well as after his retirement.
In July, the Communist Party expelled Ma Xingrui, the former head of Xinjiang province, from the party and removed him from public service over corruption and violations of party discipline.
The latest purge underlines the continued scale of Xi Jinping’s campaign to tighten control over China’s military and political establishment, with even some of the country’s most powerful defence figures now facing investigation and removal.
