New Delhi: The Chinese Communist Party has ousted its highest-ranking general, Zhang Youxia, in President Xi Jinping’s most stunning purge that removes the leader’s closest confidant from his position as vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission.
The country’s Defence Ministry announced Saturday that the 75-year-old General had been removed over “grave violations of discipline and the law”. General Liu Zhenli, chief of the military’s Joint Staff Department, is also under investigation.
Zhang’s removal marks a watershed moment in Xi’s systematic dismantling of military leadership. All six commanders appointed by Xi to the CMC in 2022 have now been removed, leaving the commission—the party body that controls China’s armed forces—with only one member besides Xi himself: General Zhang Shengmin, who oversees the President’s military purges and was promoted to the commission last year.
Saturday’s purge sent shockwaves through the party given Zhang Youxia’s personal ties to Xi. Their relationship dates back generations—their fathers both served in Mao Zedong’s army—and Xi had retained Zhang beyond the customary retirement age in the 60s, suggesting extraordinary trust that has now evaporated.
The removal is widely seen as part of Xi’s relentless campaign to eliminate what he characterises as corruption and disloyalty within the party, though the inclusion of his closest military ally has surprised observers.
Before this, China’s largest military purge was in October last year, when the party expelled nine top generals, including three three-star generals who served on the Central Committee. The October purge removed He Weidong, then vice-chairman of the CMC and the military’s second-highest ranking official after Xi; Miao Hua, director of the CMC’s political work department; He Hongjun, executive deputy director of CMC’s political work department; and Wang Xiubin, executive deputy director of CMC’s joint operations command centre.
He Weidong’s expulsion was particularly significant as he was the first serving member of the Politburo—the Communist Party’s apex decision-making body—to be investigated. He was last seen in March, with his absence fuelling speculation about his fate.
The Defence Ministry said in a statement at the time that the nine men had “seriously violated party discipline and were suspected of serious duty-related crimes involving an extremely large amount of money, of extremely serious nature, and with extremely detrimental consequences”.
It added that the men would face military prosecution and their punishment represented a “significant achievement in the party and military’s anti-corruption campaign”.
Then, in November 2025, the Communist Party removed 20 senior officials from key roles in a separate purge targeting members with families living abroad. While those officials were not dismissed from the party and retain their membership, they no longer hold key positions. The move aimed to counter vulnerability to sanctions, foreign pressure or intelligence coercion.
(Edited by Prerna Madan)
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