China has expelled two of its most senior military officers, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, from the Communist Party and the armed forces, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Monday, citing “serious violations of discipline and law.”
Zhang served as vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, the country’s top military command body, and was widely regarded as the second-ranking officer under President Xi Jinping as well as one of his closest longtime military allies. Liu was a member of the commission and served as chief of staff of its Joint Staff Department.
Xinhua said the pair had violated political discipline and rules, formed cliques and factions, and been disloyal and dishonest to the party. Authorities did not disclose specific details of the alleged offenses. The Communist Party’s Politburo reviewed and approved findings on the two men prior to the announcement.
Separate reporting indicated the investigations concluded the officers had accepted gifts and cash in violation of regulations, failed to enforce party discipline, and improperly managed the conduct of relatives and staff under them. Authorities described the sums involved as unusually large and said the cases have been referred to military prosecutors for possible criminal proceedings.
Investigations into both men were first announced in January, and they were removed from the Central Military Commission in late August. Their expulsion makes them the latest and most senior officials to fall in a sweeping anti-corruption campaign within the People’s Liberation Army that Xi has pursued since taking power in 2012, one that has increasingly reached into the military’s top ranks in recent years.
The announcement comes just days before Xi is scheduled to travel to Washington for talks with President Donald Trump, and ahead of a Communist Party plenary session next month expected to address internal governance and further personnel matters.
