China removed two high-ranking officers from the country’s main military body on Friday (August 28, 2026), state media reported, seven months after it was announced that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were being investigated for “serious violations of the law.”
Zhang and Mr. The announcement fit into the sweeping anti-graft drive that has defined President Xi Jinping’s time in power — but Mr. Zhang’s fall from grace in particular shocked observers, given his seniority and the perception he was close to Mr. Xi. Xi.
In January, though, the Defence Ministry said that Mr. Liu were “suspected of serious violations of discipline and the law”, a common euphemism for corruption. At the time the investigation was announced, an editorial in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Daily said the two men had “seriously trampled on and undermined the system of ultimate responsibility resting with the CMC chairman” — that is, Mr.
Mr. The CMC is China’s most important military decision-making body, chaired by President Xi.
On Friday (August 28, 2026), state news agency Xinhua said in a report on a meeting of the standing committee of China’s Parliament that “the meeting decided to remove Zhang Youxia from the post of Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China”. Liu, who was chief of staff of the CMC’s joint staff department, which oversees combat planning, was also removed, it said.
