5 facts on Zhang Youxia, Xi Jinping’s closest military ally under investigation

Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and second-in-command under President Xi Jinping, is being probed.

China’s most senior serving general is under investigation, the defence ministry said on Saturday, marking the highest-profile purge of military leadership so far.

Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission (AP)

Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and second-in-command under President Xi Jinping, is being probed for suspected “serious violations of discipline and law.”

“After deliberation by the CPC Central Committee, it was decided to initiate an investigation into Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli,” a ministry spokesman said, according to South China Morning Post.

Liu Zhenli, chief of staff of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department, is also under investigation.

Zhang has long been regarded as Xi’s closest military ally. He is a member of the Communist Party’s elite Politburo.

Zhang, 75, and Liu, 61, are decorated war veterans and the only members of the seven-strong Central Military Commission with combat experience.

Both participated in PLA operations against Vietnam in the late 1970s.

Who is Zhang Youxia?

1. A war veteran and the son of a founding People’s Liberation Army general, Zhang is one of Xi Jinping’s longest-serving allies in uniform, according to Channel News Asia.
2. Reports drew attention to Zhang’s absence on January 20 from a high-level study session on the fourth plenum, which was attended by senior party and military leaders, the CNA report added.
3. Zhang has been accused of corruption and of failing to rein in close associates, family members and relatives. He was also blamed for not flagging problems to party leadership at an early stage, according to a South China Morning Post report. The report added that he was detained by military anti-corruption investigators on Monday.
4. A veteran of the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese border war, Zhang later commanded several key military regions. Now 75, he rose through both combat and organisational tracks of the PLA and eventually oversaw operations, training and weapons development, CNA report added.
5. In August 2024, Zhang met US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, where he urged Washington to “correct its strategic understanding of China, return to a rational and pragmatic policy toward China, and earnestly respect China’s core interests,” according to CNN.