The Chinese military has been in disarray since early 2023. Dozens of senior PLA officers, mostly lieutenant generals and generals, have been investigated and prosecuted. Five of the seven members of the Central Military Commission (CMC) are either under investigation or already on trial.

Two senior PLA Generals Zhang Youxia, Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and Liu Zhenli, Director of the CMC Joint Staff Department, are being investigated on suspicion of ‘serious violations of discipline and law’, as per the Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MND) on 24 January 2026.[1]  In the Chinese system, the term ‘serious violations of discipline and law’ means the accused is suspected of major economic crimes, abuse of power, or political betrayal.[2] The PLA Daily editorial on 26 January 2026 noted that Zhang Youxia was accused of ‘seriously undermining and destroying the system of responsibility of the Chairman of the Central Military Commission’.[3]

These developments are significant given that Zhang Youxia, 75, was the second-most powerful military officer, and his dismissal is being compared to the fall of Lin Biao, then Vice Chairman of the CMC, in 1971.[4]  Zhang Youxia has also been a second-generation family friend and one of Xi Jinping’s closest confidants since Xi came to power in October 2012.[5] Some analysts argue that Zhang Youxia’s fall is attributable to recent rifts between Xi Jinping and Zhang Youxia.[6] While no concrete evidence of such rifts has been provided, it is evident that the Chinese military has been in disarray since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October 2022.[7]

With the fall of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, the CMC is left with only two members—Xi Jinping, the Chairman, and Zhang Shengmin, the Vice Chairman, who is the only military officer in the highest decision-making body of the Chinese military. Zhang Shengmin is a political commissar without any experience in military operations. Throughout his PLA career, he has served in various political departments of the PLA and the discipline inspection commission of the CMC.[8]

Analysts note that the urgency of Xi Jinping’s actions may indicate that he is seeking to eliminate any potential power challenge before the next Party Congress in 2027.[9] Since early 2023, rumours of discord between Xi Jinping and Zhang Youxia have circulated. The rumours were based on the corruption investigation into PLA Rocket Force procurement, in which several of Zhang Youxia’s associates were involved. The investigation spread to the defence industry, theatre commands and core departments of the CMC.[10] By June 2024, 12 senior PLA officials, mostly lieutenant generals and generals, had been persecuted.[11]

In retaliation, the anti-Xi Jinping faction began targeting Xi Jinping’s close associates within the CMC to limit his power within the Chinese military.[12] Subsequently, in November 2024, one of Xi Jinping’s closest confidants, General Miao Hua, Member of the CMC, was arrested on charges of ‘serious violations of discipline and law’.[13] To further pressure Xi Jinping, in March 2025, another close confidant, He Weidong, a second-rank Vice Chairman of the CMC, was arrested during a corruption investigation.[14]

The investigation found both Miao Hua and He Weidong guilty, and in October 2025, both were persecuted and expelled from the CPC and the PLA.[15] According to The Wall Street Journal, Zhang Youxia was accused of ‘forming cliques’ and abusing his power in military decision-making.[16] Liu Zhenli, the fallen PLA general, is said to have had a long association with Zhang Youxia. The two have participated in the Liangshan Campaign against Vietnam in the 1980s and were reportedly in a superior–subordinate relationship at the time.[17]

Reports suggest that the internal power struggle within the CPC entered a critical stage in mid-January 2026 and that a previously concealed, fierce struggle within the CPC’s inner circle erupted publicly. Analysts argue that the arrest of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli is not merely the arrest of high-ranking CPC and PLA leaders but rather a coup or counter-coup launched by the Xi Jinping faction against rival power groups within the Party.[18] Among the 30 PLA Generals appointed to key positions of the PLA, 13 have either been expelled or are under investigation.[19]

Xi Jinping assumed office in October 2012 at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and completely reshuffled the top leadership team of the Chinese military. The previous military leadership was under the control of then CMC Vice Chairman Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, who belonged to Jiang Zemin’s faction.[20] The new team of military leadership included experienced, more capable personnel who rose from the grassroots level, including Zhang Youxia, who was appointed Head of the CMC General Armaments Department.[21] Although Xi Jinping and Zhang Youxia were second-generation family friends, this was likely their first time working as colleagues at the CMC. Some analysts suggest that Zhang Youxia played a crucial role in supporting and maintaining Xi Jinping’s power. However, discord between the two senior-most leaders emerged at the start of Xi Jinping’s third term, following the 20th National Congress of the CPC in October 2022.[22]

Zhang Youxia is the son of Zhang Zongxun, one of the founding generals of the PLA. He was a member of the Political Bureau of the 19th & 20th CPC Central Committee and First-ranked Vice Chairman of the CMC.[23] Zhang Youxia, born in 1950, joined the PLA in 1968 at the age of 18. He is known for his participation in the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War and the 1984 Battle of Laoshan against Vietnam.[24] Analysts argue that Zhang Youxia wielded considerable power within the Chinese military, holding multiple senior positions and building a strong network over more than five decades of service.

Some analysts argue that Zhang Youxia’s appointment as Head of the CMC General Armament Department in October 2012 was due to the support of CPC leaders, and it has little to do with his decades-long friendship with Xi Jinping.[25] The Deutsche Welle report claims that, being a princeling, Zhang Youxia maintained close ties with several CPC leaders, which, to some extent, undermined Xi Jinping’s authority in the military. With the support of veteran CPC leaders, he retained his position as CMC Vice Chairman at the 20th National Congress of the CPC, even at the age of 72, which was unusual. This report also claims that during the 18th and 19th Party Congresses in........

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