New Delhi: China has formally expelled two of its most senior military officers, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, from the Communist Party and the armed forces after accusing them of political disloyalty and corruption. The decision completes another stage in the removal of two men who, until their investigations began this year, held central roles in the command of the People’s Liberation Army.
They were already removed from their military posts for months pending charges against them. The Central Military Commission (CMC) in a recent statement, as reported by Reuters on Monday, said in a statement that they were removed in August.
Zhang was a vice-chairman of the CMC, the body chaired by the president, Xi Jinping, that directs China’s armed forces. Liu was a CMC member and chief of its joint staff department, which has a key role in military planning and operations.
The party accused both men of forming factions, breaching political discipline and being dishonest and disloyal to its leadership, according to an official account carried by the state news agency Xinhua. It also alleged that they abused their positions for personal gain, failed in their duties and did not adequately supervise subordinates or family members; the allegations have not been tested in court.
Chinese authorities have not publicly set out the transactions behind the corruption allegations or specified the sums involved, although the official account described them as exceptionally large. The cases are to be sent to military prosecutors for examination, a separate step from the party and military expulsions approved at a Politburo meeting chaired by Xi on Monday.
The announcement follows months of action against the two officers. China’s defence ministry confirmed investigations in January, and both were removed from the state CMC in August.
Zhang’s fall is especially consequential because of his position directly below Xi in the military hierarchy and his long association with the Chinese leader. A former Politburo member, he was also among the relatively few senior PLA officers with combat experience, having served during China’s fighting with Vietnam in 1979 and 1984. Reuters previously documented his career and his standing in the leadership.
The accusations go beyond financial misconduct. By alleging that Zhang and Liu formed factions and were disloyal, the party has framed the cases as breaches of the political discipline it demands from officers who command its armed forces; the public statement, however, does not establish whether either man attempted to challenge Xi. Reuters reported the wording of the charges and analysts’ differing assessments of their significance.
The expulsions also leave the CMC sharply depleted. Of the seven people appointed to the commission in 2022, only Xi and one other member remain in active positions, following a series of investigations and removals that has reached the highest ranks.
Xi’s anti-corruption campaign has targeted the PLA for years, including officers connected with weapons procurement and the Rocket Force, which oversees China’s land-based nuclear missiles. Another former CMC vice-chairman, He Weidong, was expelled from the party and military in 2025, illustrating how far the investigations have extended through the command structure.
For China’s military, the immediate question is how the leadership fills senior posts while continuing its modernization programme and managing day-to-day operations. The expulsions come days before Xi is due to visit the United States for talks with the president, Donald Trump, and ahead of a party meeting in October focused on internal governance and discipline.