Overview
- China’s defense ministry says CMC vice chair Zhang Youxia and Joint Staff chief Liu Zhenli are under investigation for “serious discipline and law violations,” with official PLA media accusing both of betraying party trust.
- Of the seven leaders appointed to the Central Military Commission in 2022, only Xi Jinping and anti-graft chief Zhang Shengmin remain in power after a cascade of removals and probes.
- Experts warn the shake-up complicates command and degrades readiness, likely slowing complex operations such as a Taiwan blockade or invasion in the near term.
- Some analysts expect Beijing to stage more military exercises to project strength even as internal turnover strains coordination, and Xi faces a narrowing pool to refill senior posts.
- A Wall Street Journal claim that Zhang leaked nuclear-weapons data to the United States remains unverified and has been publicly questioned, highlighting the opaque information environment.