Beijing’s Purge of Top Military Leaders Raises Questions About Stability: Analysts

The abrupt investigation of two top generals is fueling debate over elite politics, coups, and risks across the Taiwan Strait.

(Left) Liu Zhenli at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on March 11, 2023; (Right) Chinese Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia attends an official event in Qingdao, China, on April 22, 2024. Greg Baker /Florence Lo /Reuters

On Jan. 24, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced investigations into two of the country’s most senior military figures—Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia and Joint Staff Department Chief Liu Zhenli—accusing them of “serious violations of discipline and law.”

The move, rare in both speed and scale, has triggered speculation among China insiders and observers, many of whom believe it reflects not a routine anti-corruption case but a political crisis at the leadership level of the CCP’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Swift and High-Level Purge

Zhang and Liu rank among the most powerful uniformed officers in China. Zhang, a Politburo member and one of only two CMC vice chairmen, has long been considered key to Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s control over the military. Liu, a CMC member who also serves as the chief of the Joint Staff Department, oversaw operational command across the PLA.