Chinese General Zhang Youxia’s Fall and the Power Struggles Behind It

In the CCP’s brutal conflicts, those who lose not only suffer the loss of careers and influence but also risk their lives and the safety of their families.

Zhang Youxia (front), newly-elected vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, swears an oath with members of the commission (L-R) Zhang Shengmin, Liu Zhenli, He Weidong, Li Shangfu, and Miao Hua, after they were elected during the fourth plenary session of China's rubber-stamp legislature, the National People's Congress, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11, 2023. Greg Baker/Pool via Reuters

Commentary

China’s Ministry of National Defense officially announced on Jan. 24 that Zhang Youxia—a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) Politburo and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC)—along with Liu Zhenli, a CMC member and chief of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department, were under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law.”