CHINA JUST REMOVED ITS SECOND MOST POWERFUL MILITARY OFFICIAL AND A CHILDHOOD FRIEND OF XI JINPING
Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli have been removed from China’s Central Military Commission.
The official reason is suspected serious violations of discipline and law. In China that is the formal language for corruption investigation.
Zhang Youxia is not a minor figure. He was Xi Jinping’s senior vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, the highest-ranking uniformed officer in the entire People’s Liberation Army. He was one of the last surviving senior commanders with real combat experience from the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War. And his father fought alongside Xi Jinping’s father. The two men have known each other since childhood.
Xi just removed his oldest military friend from the highest uniformed position in China.
That is not a routine anti-corruption action. That is a signal.
Liu Zhenli commanded China’s ground forces and was considered a key figure in modernising the PLA for potential Taiwan scenarios.
Removing both men simultaneously restructures the top of China’s military command at a moment when Beijing is watching the US-Iran war, managing tensions over Taiwan, deepening partnerships with Russia, and preparing Xi’s visit to Egypt.
China’s anti-corruption campaign under Xi has removed more military figures than any period since the Cultural Revolution. Critics say it doubles as political consolidation. Xi’s supporters say it is genuine reform of a corrupt institution.
Both can be true. The corruption in China’s military procurement is documented. Xi’s political consolidation is also documented.
What is clear is that nobody in China’s military, not even a childhood friend with the highest possible rank, is protected from Xi’s reach when he decides the moment is right.
What does this reshuffle signal about China’s military direction?