China has removed two high-ranking military officers from the country’s Central Military Commission (CMC), state media reported on Friday. The move comes seven months after authorities announced investigations into Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli over alleged serious violations of the law.
Zhang had served as the CMC’s senior vice chairman and ranked as China’s highest-ranking general. His removal has drawn particular attention because observers had viewed him as close to President Xi Jinping.
Senior Generals Removed From CMC
China’s Xinhua news agency reported that the country’s parliament standing committee approved Zhang’s removal as vice chairman of the state CMC. Authorities also removed Liu, who previously served as chief of the CMC Joint Staff Department.
The CMC serves as China’s top military decision-making body and is chaired by Xi. Although China has separate state and Communist Party military commissions, officials generally treat them as the same institution in practice.
Military Body Left With Few Known Members
The removals leave the seven-member CMC with only two publicly known representatives: Xi and anti-corruption chief Zhang Shengmin. Authorities have not disclosed the whereabouts of Zhang or Liu or provided detailed information about the allegations against them.
China’s defence ministry announced in January that both officers faced investigations for suspected violations of discipline and law. Such language commonly refers to corruption cases in the country’s ongoing anti-graft campaign.
The PLA Daily previously accused the two officers of undermining the CMC chairman’s ultimate responsibility system. Their removal represents another major development in China’s continuing military anti-corruption drive.
