Overview
- China’s Defense Ministry said Gen. Zhang Youxia and Gen. Liu Zhenli are under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law.”
- An editorial in the People’s Liberation Army Daily accused both generals of corruption and of undermining Xi’s authority under the CMC chairman responsibility system.
- Following these moves and earlier removals, multiple reports say the seven-member Central Military Commission now includes only one active uniformed officer, discipline chief Gen. Zhang Shengmin.
- The Wall Street Journal reported unverified allegations that Zhang leaked nuclear-weapons data to the United States and accepted bribes, with investigators reportedly seizing devices from officers linked to him.
- Analysts warn the shake-up centralizes decision-making under Xi and may heighten miscalculation risks over Taiwan, while official statements offer no specifics and Zhang’s PLA biography page has been removed.