China Expels Top Generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from Party and Military

Chinese authorities have expelled Politburo member and Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia, along with CMC member and former Chief of the Joint Staff Department Liu Zhenli, from both the Communist Party and the military. Following investigations by the CMC's discipline and supervision commission, the Politburo approved reports detailing serious violations including forming factions, trading promotions for bribes, and dereliction of duty. Their suspected criminal offenses have been transferred to military prosecutors for review and prosecution.

Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli are among the highest-ranking military figures to be purged in recent years. As CMC Vice Chairman, Zhang held the highest professional rank attainable by an active military officer, and both men held seats at the pinnacle of China's defense command hierarchy. Their simultaneous removal signals an intense, ongoing drive to enforce political alignment and stamp out corruption at the absolute summit of the People's Liberation Army.

Chinese authorities have expelled General Zhang Youxia and General Liu Zhenli from both the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the military following investigations into severe disciplinary and legal violations, according to state media reports published by Xinhua, the PLA Daily, and the People's Daily. On September 21, a meeting of the CPC Central Committee Politburo reviewed and approved investigative reports submitted by the Central Military Commission (CMC) concerning Zhang, a Politburo member and CMC Vice Chairman, and Liu, a CMC member and former Chief of the CMC Joint Staff Department. Both men had previously been placed under investigation by the CMC's Discipline Inspection Commission and Supervision Commission with the authorization of the Party Central Committee and the CMC. According to the official findings, Zhang and Liu abandoned their original aspirations, drifted from the Party, and engaged in severe violations of political discipline and political rules. The investigation concluded that they formed factions and cliques, exhibited disloyalty, and traded appointments and promotions for enormous sums of money. Additional violations cited include illicitly accepting gifts and funds, failing to fulfill leadership responsibilities for strict Party governance, and failing to supervise family members and close staff. Authorities stated that their conduct intertwined political issues with economic wrongdoing, combining graft with dereliction of duty involving exceptionally large amounts of money. Under the Party discipline regulations, both officials were stripped of their Party membership and had their credentials as delegates to the 20th CPC National Congress terminated. Their expulsion from the Party is subject to formal confirmation at a future plenary session of the Central Committee. The CMC had previously decided to expel both men from military service, and their suspected criminal cases have been transferred to military procuratorial organs for examination and prosecution. State media characterized the action as evidence of an unwavering anti-corruption drive within the armed forces, reiterating that anti-graft efforts operate without restricted zones or tolerance for concealment.