Top PLA vice chairman Zhang Youxia placed under investigation, state media says

China’s defense ministry announced over the weekend that Gen. Zhang Youxia, long viewed as a close deputy to Xi Jinping, is under investigation for unspecified breaches of laws and political discipline, state media and official outlets said. Zhang, 75, was once seen as one of Mr. Xi’s most trusted military lieutenants and met with U.S.

officials in Beijing in 2024; Jake Sullivan, who attended that meeting, said Zhang “spoke in an unvarnished way” and did not seem cautious. A Liberation Army Daily editorial hinted at accusations of corruption and, more importantly, disloyalty, saying Zhang and another commander, Gen.

Liu Zhenli, had “trampled on” the authority of the military chairman and “severely undermined the party’s absolute leadership over the military.” The New York Times account notes Zhang’s background as a princeling and combat veteran who helped lead Mr. Xi’s overhaul of the People’s Liberation Army and served past retirement as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.

He ran the military’s armaments department from 2012 to 2017, an office that other analysts described as prone to corruption, and colleagues from that office were later investigated; some experts said Zhang may previously have been spared scrutiny because of his background and ties to Mr.

Key Topics

World, Zhang Youxia, Xi Jinping, People's Liberation Army, Central Military Commission, Liu Zhenli