China removes high-ranking officers from key military body

Beijing – China has removed two high-ranking officers from the country's main military body, state media reported on Friday, seven months after they were investigated for serious law violations. Zhang Youxia, the more senior of the two vice chairmen on the Central Military Commission (CMC), had been China's highest-ranked general before his removal.

The Defense Ministry had previously labeled Zhang and his colleague Liu Zhenli as "suspected of serious violations of discipline and the law," a euphemism for corruption. This action fits into the sweeping anti-corruption campaign led by President Xi Jinping, but Zhang's fall from grace was particularly shocking given his seniority and proximity to Xi.

On Friday, the official Xinhua News Agency announced via a report on a meeting of the standing committee of China's parliament that Zhang Youxia had been removed from his post as Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China. Liu Zhenli, who was chief of staff of the CMC's joint staff department, overseeing combat planning, was also removed from his position.

The CMC, chaired by Xi, is the most important military decision-making body in China. Following their removal, the CMC, which is supposed to have seven members, will now consist of only two known representatives: Xi and anti-corruption chief Zhang Shengmin. Their whereabouts are currently unknown, and no details about the accusations against them have been provided.

At the time of the investigation announcement, a People's Liberation Army Daily editorial stated that Zhang and Liu had "seriously trampled on and undermined the system of ultimate responsibility resting with the CMC chairman."