China expels two top generals from Communist Party

The removal of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli leaves only two active members on the supreme Central Military Commission.

China expelled two of its highest-ranking military commanders from the ruling Communist Party on Monday following allegations of corruption, disloyalty, and factional organizing.¹²

The expulsions targeted General Zhang Youxia, the first-ranking vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, and General Liu Zhenli, the chief of staff of the commission's Joint Staff Department.¹²³ Both men were stripped of their party standing after official findings accused them of forming cliques, violating discipline, and trading promotions for enormous sums of money.¹³ The actions followed formal investigations launched in January, which led to their removal from the military command body in late August before final political expulsion this week.¹²

The fall of Zhang marks the deepest breach yet into the senior ranks of China's armed forces. At 75, Zhang served as the senior uniformed officer in the military hierarchy and stood as a longtime personal ally of President Xi Jinping.²⁴ His father had fought alongside Xi's father during China's civil war, establishing decades of familial ties that long appeared to protect him from factional reshuffling. As second-in-command on the Central Military Commission, Zhang oversaw weapons procurement, military modernization, and strategic readiness across the People's Liberation Army.¹⁵

Liu, 61, directed operational planning and combat readiness across all branches as head of the Joint Staff Department.²⁵ Both men held unique standing among China's modern military leadership as decorated combat veterans of border fighting against Vietnam during the late 1970s and 1980s.²⁵ With their removal, the Central Military Commission lost the only two uniformed members who possessed verified battlefield experience.²

Official statements accused both commanders of abandoning party principles, failing to supervise family members and immediate subordinates, and abusing administrative power.²³ Investigators concluded that political misconduct and illicit enrichment ran together, alleging that both officers accepted bribes while managing command portfolios.²³ Their files have been formally transferred to military prosecutors for court proceedings.³

The decision was finalized during a Politburo meeting led by Xi on Monday.² That gathering accelerated a multi-year effort to subordinate the defense apparatus directly to Xi's personal authority. Under anti-corruption initiatives initiated after Xi assumed power in 2012, authorities have investigated millions of public personnel and dismissed scores of senior military figures.²¹ In June 2024, former defense minister Li Shangfu and his immediate predecessor were expelled from the party under parallel corruption inquiries.¹

The removal of Zhang and Liu leaves the Central Military Commission severely depleted. Designed to operate with seven members, the command body now retains only two active seats: Xi, who serves as civilian chairman, and General Zhang Shengmin, who leads the military discipline commission.¹⁵ The remaining vacancies leave operational oversight concentrated in an unprecedentedly narrow leadership circle.

The timing of the expulsions carries immediate diplomatic weight. The announcement landed days before Xi travels to Washington for a planned bilateral summit with United States President Donald Trump, and weeks ahead of an internal party assembly dedicated to organizational governance.¹ Removing top command figures on the eve of foreign engagements demonstrates Xi's willingness to absorb institutional volatility to assert domestic primacy.

Political analysts observed that targeting close confidants alters institutional incentives across the government. Minxin Pei, a scholar of Chinese politics, noted that personalist governance systems demand strict political compliance at the expense of executive stability.⁴ In Pei's assessment, purging senior figures eliminates potential institutional counterweights while narrowing the talent pool for future succession.⁴

Beijing has coupled the personnel overhaul with assertions of martial readiness. In public addresses outlining defense policy, Xi reiterated strict adherence to the One China principle regarding Taiwan and declared that armed forces development remains central to national goals.⁵ Xi stated in internal military directives that no personnel in uniform may harbor disloyalty to central party leadership.³

What this rests on

20 sentences trace to 5 sources.

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1. 1 A aljazeera.com Third-party reporting · aljazeera.com · 21 Sep 2026 China expels two top ‘disloyal’ military leaders from Communist Party See the source
2. 2 HT Hindustan Times Third-party reporting · hindustantimes.com · 21 Sep 2026 Xi ally among 2 Chinese military generals expelled over ‘disloyalty’ and corruption See the source
3. 3 N Newsday Third-party reporting · newsday.com · 21 Sep 2026 China expels 2 top military leaders accused of corruption from the ruling Communist Party See the source
4. 4 BR Brendan Ruberry Document · semafor.com · 21 Sep 2026 Xi purges top generals for ‘disloyalty’ See the source
5. 5 M militarnyi.com Third-party reporting · militarnyi.com Xi Jinping Continues Purge of Military Elite: Two Generals Removed From Their Posts See the source