Unprecedented purges in China's military. Country's highest-ranking general under investigation for 'serious violations of discipline and law'
The purge campaign launched by Chinese leader Xi Jinping among the military has reached an unprecedented level. General Zhang Youxia, the second-in-command in China's military hierarchy after President Xi, has been placed under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law,” the Defense Ministry in Beijing announced on Saturday. The decision marks the hardest blow yet in the offensive launched by the Chinese leader against the elite People's Liberation Army.
General Zhang Youxia/PHOTO: AFP
Zhang Youxia holds the position of vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, the Communist Party body that controls the armed forces. At the same time, the authorities confirmed that General Liu Zhenli, another member of the commission and chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is also under investigation. The official release does not provide details about the facts imputed to the two.
In the Chinese political system, public investigation equates, in most cases, to a definitive political conviction, writes The New York Times. Zhang's fall is all the more spectacular as he was considered close to Xi Jinping, the connection between the two dating back decades. Their fathers, both veterans of revolutionary wars led by Mao Zedong, knew each other personally, and Xi had kept Zhang in office past the informal retirement age of about 70.
“It is an unprecedented gesture in the history of the Chinese military and amounts to the complete annihilation of the top military leadership”commented Christopher K. Johnson, a former CIA analyst specializing in Beijing politics.
Following the removal of the two generals, the Central Military Commission was practically left with only two active members: Xi Jinping, as chairman, and General Zhang Shengmin, even responsible for overseeing the internal purges. Of the six generals appointed by Xi to the commission in 2022, only one remains in office.
“It is a serious blow to the internal morale of the People's Liberation Army”
According to analysts, the message sent is clear: Xi Jinping seems to have come to the conclusion that the problems in the military are so deep that the current leadership can no longer be reformed from within. “The decision to sacrifice Zhang Youxia as well shows that there are no limits to Xi's anti-corruption zeal”appreciates Johnson, who claims that the Chinese leader is looking for a new generation of officers, considered less “contaminated”.
Rumors of the general's possible fall had been circulating for several days after he and Liu Zhenli were absent from an important Communist Party meeting. Still, the official announcement came more quickly than in other cases, a sign that Beijing was trying to limit the negative effects on Xi's image and military morale, experts say.
“It is a serious blow to the internal morale of the People's Liberation Army” warns Su Tzu-yun, a military affairs expert at the Institute for Defense and National Security Research in Taipei. Zhang and Liu were the main commanders with direct operational responsibilities, and their removal creates a significant experience gap.
“At this level, there are currently no leaders with real experience in operations or coordinating military exercises. The impact will be profound, and further purges are likely to follow.” believes Shanshan Mei, researcher at RAND.
Since 2023, dozens of high-ranking commanders, officers and executives in the arms industry have been removed or disappeared from public life. The first investigations targeted China's Missile Force, which is responsible for its nuclear arsenal, and later regional commanders, admirals and members of the Central Military Commission were affected.
The irony is that many of those targeted had been promoted by Xi Jinping himself after he came to power in 2012 in the name of fighting corruption. After more than a decade, the Chinese leader appears to have come to the conclusion that even his own protégés have been drawn into the traditional system of bribery and favoritism in the military.
The scale of the purges became apparent last year at a meeting of the Communist Party's Central Committee: of the 44 officers appointed in 2022, nearly two-thirds had since been removed or were no longer appearing publicly.
What is Xi Jinping after?
In the long term, Xi is counting on the idea that these measures will make the military more loyal and effective, including in potentially sensitive scenarios such as pressure on Taiwan. In the short term, however, analysts warn that the destabilization of the military leadership could reduce China's real ability to react.
“It's a major dilemma”explains Su Tzu-yun. “Xi wants to clean up the system, but by removing these high-ranking officers, a huge amount of experience is lost.”
Zhang Youxia was one of the few Chinese commanders with actual combat experience, gained in the conflict with Vietnam that began in 1979. He later headed the General Department of Armaments – a structure notorious for corruption risks – and was promoted to the Central Military Commission in 2017. Other generals from the same structure, including former Defense Minister Li Shangfu, have already been removed.
Rebuilding the chains of command and forming a new military elite could take years. “Complete restoration of leadership may take Xi five years or even longer“, estimates Su. “In this context, the probability of a major military conflict in the near term, including around Taiwan, has decreased.“
