The daily cited people with knowledge of the allegations against Zhang, vice chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission. According to sources, the general was accused of, among others, to provide the US with key technical data on Chinese nuclear weapons.
What are the accusations against General Zhang Youxia?
Who handed over the evidence against Zhang?
What allegations about Zhang are publicly disclosed?
What role did General Zhang play in the Chinese army?
The Chinese Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday that it had initiated an investigation against the general, but the stated reason was “serious violation of discipline and law,” which usually means corruption. The daily said that in fact the allegations are much broader and also include the creation of political cliques and “building a network of influence that undermines the unity of the Party”, as well as abuse of power in the highest decision-making body of the Communist Party of China, known as the Central Military Commission.
According to “WSJ”, the evidence against Zhang came from Gu Jun, a former director of the Chinese state nuclear company. Gu was placed under investigation last week on suspicion of “serious violations of party discipline and the law.”
The general and spying for the USA. What do we know about the military?
75-year-old General Zhang was a veteran of the ground forces and was previously considered a close ally of China's leader Xi Jinping. His fall was a political earthquake – in the state military commission he was the last member of the top management from the previous round to remain in office. The remaining key commanders from the original squad had already been removed as part of the unprecedented purges that have been shaking the Chinese army for several months.
“This step is unprecedented in the history of the Chinese military and means the complete destruction of the highest command,” Christopher Johnson, head of China Strategies Group, a political risk consulting firm, told the daily.
The PRC Embassy in Washington said the party's decision to open an investigation into Zhang underscores the leadership's “full-scale, zero-tolerance approach to corruption.”
