China’s leadership has launched its most far-reaching military purge in decades, placing two of the country’s most senior uniformed officials under investigation and leaving the top command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) effectively hollowed out.
On Jan. 24, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced a formal probe into Gen. Zhang Youxia, a Politburo member and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and Liu Zhenli, a CMC member and chief of the Joint Staff Department. The decision was confirmed by the Ministry of National Defense at a routine press briefing, marking a dramatic escalation of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s long-running anti-corruption campaign.
The same day, the PLA Daily published a front-page editorial describing the investigation as a “major achievement” in the fight against corruption and proof of the leadership’s “rock-solid resolve” to show no leniency toward senior figures. The editorial accused Zhang and Liu of betraying the trust of the Party, undermining the CMC Chairman Responsibility System that concentrates military authority in Xi’s hands, and causing “extremely adverse effects” on the Party, the state and the military.
Additional details emerged through controlled disclosures and foreign reporting. The South China Morning Post reported on Jan. 24, citing sources familiar with the matter, that CCP elites were briefed on the case a day earlier. The paper said Zhang was accused of corruption, failing to rein in associates and relatives, and not flagging problems promptly to Party leaders. A second source said Zhang had been formally detained by military investigators on Jan. 19.
On Jan. 25, The Wall Street Journal cited people familiar with internal briefings who said Zhang was also accused of forming political cliques, selling promotions within the military procurement system, and leaking sensitive information. The report said some evidence was linked to Gu Jun, a former executive at China National Nuclear Corp., who was himself placed under investigation on Jan. 19. According to the Journal, Xi has also ordered a task force to reexamine Zhang’s tenure as commander of the Shenyang Military Region from 2007 to 2012.
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The purge leaves the CMC in an unprecedented state. Aside from Xi, who chairs the commission, only one vice chairman, Zhang Shengmin, remains. Other senior figures have fallen in rapid succession, including former defense minister Li Shangfu in 2023, political work chief Miao Hua in 2024, and CMC vice chairman He Weidong in 2025. If Zhang’s removal is finalized, it will be the first time since 1989 that two sitting Politburo members have been purged before completing their terms.
Analysts at SinoInsider, a New York–based consultancy specializing in Chinese politics, say the episode represents the most destabilizing shock to the PLA since Xi came to power. While the purge reinforces Xi’s personal authority, SinoInsider assesses that it also exposes deep fractures within the military and carries significant operational risks.
The analysts noted in a Jan. 26 newsletter entry that the investigation sharply undercuts persistent rumors that Xi has lost control of the armed forces. In China’s political system, a leader who has truly been sidelined cannot purge the person allegedly controlling “the gun.” Zhang’s downfall, despite his status as a princeling and long-standing family ties to Xi, suggests that Xi’s grip on power remains firm.
At the same time, SinoInsider points to the unusually harsh political language used against Zhang and Liu. Previous purges focused on corruption and discipline; this case includes accusations of undermining Xi’s command authority and endangering the Party’s governing foundations. In CCP political culture, such characterizations amount to a final political verdict emphasizes that the case is seen as existential, not merely criminal.
While Zhang’s position would theoretically grant him access to Chinese nuclear secrets, SinoInsider is skeptical that he could actually attempt to provide them to foreign countries, given that the risks would vastly outweigh any conceivable benefit, noting past cases where sensational allegations later proved exaggerated.
The immediate impact on the PLA could be severe. SinoInsider warns that Liu’s removal disrupts the Joint Staff Department, the nerve center for operations, contingency planning and command coordination. Officers are likely to become more cautious and bureaucratic, prioritizing political survival over initiative.
In the near term, the PLA may be temporarily “blunted” as a fighting force, complicating complex operations such as a Taiwan invasion. Still, the analysts caution against underestimating China’s military: modernization programs continue, and routine pressure campaigns around Taiwan and in regional seas are unlikely to abate.
At the same time, Xi’s newest high-level purges may give him tighter control, but this is achieved at the cost of fear, distrust and institutional strain inside the very system meant to secure his power.
