BEIJING — China’s defense ministry said it has opened an investigation into the country’s highest-ranking general over what it described as “grave violations of discipline and the law,” in the latest sign of an intensified crackdown on the military. The ministry did not provide details of the allegations against Gen. Zhang Youxia, who is widely regarded as President Xi Jinping’s closest military ally. In China, such language is commonly used as a euphemism for corruption. The ministry said another senior officer, Gen. Liu Zhenli, is also under investigation. The moves follow the expulsion of nine senior generals in October, one of the largest public purges of the Chinese military in decades. Zhang, 75, serves as a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, the Communist Party body chaired by Xi that controls the armed forces. He is also a member of the party’s top decision-making body, the 24-member Politburo. A veteran of the People’s Liberation Army, Zhang joined the military in 1968 and is among a small number of senior Chinese commanders with combat experience. He had been kept in office beyond the customary retirement age, a sign of Xi’s confidence in him until recently. Zhang’s father was among the founding generals of the Chinese Communist Party. The announcement comes days after speculation emerged that Zhang and Liu were under investigation following their absence from a high-level Communist Party event in December. Since taking power, Xi has launched repeated anti-corruption campaigns across the party and state, with recent efforts focusing heavily on the military. Xi has described corruption as “the biggest threat” facing the Communist Party and said the fight against it “remains grave and complex.” Supporters argue the campaign strengthens discipline and governance, while critics say it has been used to sideline political rivals. With the investigations into Zhang and Liu, the Central Military Commission has been reduced from its original seven members to two: Xi, as chairman, and Zhang Shengmin, who oversees military discipline.BEIJING — China’s defense ministry said it has opened an investigation into the country’s highest-ranking general over what it described as “grave violations of discipline and the law,” in the latest sign of an intensified crackdown on the military. The ministry did not provide details of the allegations against Gen. Zhang Youxia, who is widely regarded as President Xi Jinping’s closest military ally. In China, such language is commonly used as a euphemism for corruption. The ministry said another senior officer, Gen. Liu Zhenli, is also under investigation. The moves follow the expulsion of nine senior generals in October, one of the largest public purges of the Chinese military in decades. Zhang, 75, serves as a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, the Communist Party body chaired by Xi that controls the armed forces. He is also a member of the party’s top decision-making body, the 24-member Politburo. A veteran of the People’s Liberation Army, Zhang joined the military in 1968 and is among a small number of senior Chinese commanders with combat experience. He had been kept in office beyond the customary retirement age, a sign of Xi’s confidence in him until recently. Zhang’s father was among the founding generals of the Chinese Communist Party. The announcement comes days after speculation emerged that Zhang and Liu were under investigation following their absence from a high-level Communist Party event in December. Since taking power, Xi has launched repeated anti-corruption campaigns across the party and state, with recent efforts focusing heavily on the military. Xi has described corruption as “the biggest threat” facing the Communist Party and said the fight against it “remains grave and complex.” Supporters argue the campaign strengthens discipline and governance, while critics say it has been used to sideline political rivals. With the investigations into Zhang and Liu, the Central Military Commission has been reduced from its original seven members to two: Xi, as chairman, and Zhang Shengmin, who oversees military discipline.
China investigates top general in latest military corruption probe
