China removes top two military officers from Central Military Commission: Who are they?

China on Friday (August 29) removed two senior military officers ‌from its supreme military command body, after investigations were launched against them over suspected serious violations of discipline and law. The removed officers are Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, who were senior PLA figures before their removal from their military careers.

Zhang was second-in-command ​under President Xi Jinping as vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) along with being a member ⁠of the elite Politburo of China. On the other hand, Liu was a CMC member and chief of staff of ​the CMC's Joint Staff Department.

What do we know about these military officers?

After joining the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee in 2007, Gen. Zhang Youxia rose slowly through China’s political and military hierarchy. In 2012, he was appointed to the Central Military Commission (CMC), marked as the country’s top military decision-making body.

After five years, he entered the 24-member Politburo, which oversees the party and central government and then became the CMC’s second-ranked vice chairman. After President Xi Jinping's third-term appointment in 2022 following a constitutional change, Zhang kept his CMC position and was promoted to first vice chairman, becoming China's highest-ranking military officer.

While several senior military figures were removed as part of a widening anti-corruption campaign, Zhang, seen as close to Xi, had seemed to avoid the purge. That changed in January, when China's defence ministry said Zhang and fellow CMC member Liu Zhenli were suspected of "serious violations of discipline and the law", a phrase Chinese authorities typically use to refer to corruption.

Zhang's early career

Zhang served as first-ranked vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. Born in Beijing, he is the son of General Zhang Zongxun. He joined the army in 1968, fighting in the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War and the 1984 Battle of Laoshan, making him one of China's few serving generals with combat experience. He commanded the 13th Group Army in 2000, became vice commander of the Beijing Military Region in 2005, and led the Shenyang Military Region from 2007, joining the CCP Central Committee.

Promoted to General in 2011, he headed the PLA General Armaments Department in 2012, then its successor CMC department in 2016. He became CMC vice chairman in 2017, rising to first-ranked vice chairman in 2022. In January 2026, Zhang was detained, becoming one of the highest-ranking officers to fall since the 1971 Lin Biao incident.

Liu Zhenli

He enlisted in the People's Liberation Army in September 1983 and joined the Chinese Communist Party in April 1984. In 1986, he took part in the Sino-Vietnamese conflicts (1979-1991), where he and his men defended their line against 36 separate assaults by the People's Army of Vietnam.

He became chief of staff of the 65th Group Army in December 2009, its commander in February 2012, and commander of the 38th Group Army in March 2014. He transferred to the People's Armed Police in July 2015 as chief of staff, then became the first chief of staff of the reorganised PLA Ground Force in December 2015.

He was made commander of the army in June 2021, and in September 2022 was appointed chief of staff of the CMC's Joint Staff Department. He was promoted to major general in December 2010, lieutenant general in July 2016, and general in July 2021.