BEIJING — The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced on Monday that it has expelled two of its highest-ranking military officials, Gen. Zhang Youxia and Gen. Liu Zhenli, for corruption and disloyalty to the Party. The announcement, carried by state media, represents an unusually severe public rebuke of figures who until recently sat at the pinnacle of China’s armed forces.
Zhang, who served as vice chair of the CCP’s Central Military Commission (CMC), was the second-most-powerful figure in the Chinese military hierarchy after President Xi Jinping. His expulsion makes him the highest-ranking active-duty general ever to be purged from the Party, according to Breitbart News, which first reported the development. Liu, who served as chief of staff for the CMC’s Joint Staff Department, oversaw strategy, logistics, and the training of military personnel.
The CMC is nominally a seven-member body that includes Xi. With Zhang’s removal, only one other member besides Xi remains: Zhang Shengmin, the Party’s chief anti-corruption officer. Both Zhang Youxia and Liu had been under investigation since January and were stripped of all practical authority in August. Their formal expulsion from the CCP is expected to be finalized at a plenary session scheduled for late October.
Charges Escalate from Euphemism to Explicit Severity
When the investigations were first announced, the two generals were described only as “suspected of serious violations of discipline and the law” — a common Chinese Communist euphemism for corruption. But Monday’s charges were far more specific and notably more severe. State media said the men had “seriously violated political discipline and political rules,” failed to “supervise their relatives and close staff members,” accepted an “enormous amount of money” in bribes, and engaged in “forming cliques and factions.”
The most damning charge was that they had been “disloyal and dishonest to the Party.” The Politburo characterized their offenses as large-scale “political problems entangled with economic problems, with corruption, illicit enrichment and dereliction of duty occurring at the same time.”
In a statement, the Politburo said Zhang and Liu had “crossed the red lines and bottom lines of conduct” and warned that “there can be no place for corrupt elements to hide within the armed forces.” The language suggested that their punishments would be exceptionally harsh, intended to make examples of them.
Precedent: Death Sentences for Fallen Generals
Two other purged military officials, former defense ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, were sentenced to death for comparable offenses, though their sentences were effectively commuted to “deprivation of political rights for life and confiscation of all personal property.” It remains unclear whether Zhang and Liu will face similar fates, but the severity of the charges against them has fueled speculation that they could face the ultimate penalty.
The purge comes at a sensitive time for Xi, who is expected to claim a fourth term as leader at the next full Party Congress in late 2027. Observers have speculated that Xi plans to unveil a reorganized and more combat-ready military at that congress — a goal that has been embarrassingly delayed by the massive scope of the anti-corruption purge required to bring China’s military leadership to heel.
Scale of the Purge: 36 Generals and Counting
According to the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Xi’s latest anti-corruption purge has officially claimed 36 generals and lieutenant generals since 2022. An additional 65 other high-ranking officers have “mysteriously vanished,” according to the think tank, a phrase that underscores the opacity of the internal disciplinary process.
The removal of Zhang Youxia is particularly notable given his proximity to Xi. As vice chair of the CMC, he was one of the few individuals with direct authority over the entire People’s Liberation Army (PLA). His downfall leaves a significant power vacuum at the top of the military establishment, with only Xi and the chief anti-corruption officer remaining as confirmed CMC members.
The CCP has not announced replacements for either Zhang or Liu. The late-October plenary session is expected to formalize their expulsions and may also address the vacant positions. For now, the message from Beijing is clear: even the most powerful generals are not immune from Xi’s anti-corruption campaign, and the cost of disloyalty is steep.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2026/09/22/chinese-communist-party-expels-two-top-generals-corruption/