Month before Xi Jinping’s purge of China’s top general, Pentagon flagged removal of officers, said it triggered ‘uncertainty’

“These investigations very likely risk short-term disruptions in the operational effectiveness of the PLA… Alternatively, the PLA could emerge as a more proficient fighting force in the future if it uses the current campaign to eliminate systemic issues enabling corruption,” the Department of Defence’s annual report on military and security developments relating to the People’s Republic of China had said.

Top General under investigation

Zhang is the vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), China’s supreme military command body, serving as the second-most senior officer under President Xi Jinping, and has long been regarded as Xi’s closest ally within the armed forces.

China’s defence ministry said it had opened an investigation into the country’s highest-ranking general over “grave violations of discipline and the law”, without any further details about accusations against General Zhang. In its announcement, the ministry said another senior military officer, General Liu Zhenli, was also under investigation.

Their removal follows the expulsion of nine top generals in October: one of the largest public crackdowns on the military in decades. With the latest purge, the CMC is now down from the original seven members to just two: Xi, who is the chair, and Zhang Shengmin, who is responsible for the military’s disciplinary affairs.

A page from the Pentagon’s report.

A page from the Pentagon’s report.

Early into its annual report on military and security developments of China, the Pentagon has, on page 25, inserted a specific subhead: ‘PLA Corruption Developments’. “The PLA has continued to experience corruption-related investigations in every service, which have led to the removal of dozens of general officers. By late 2024, corruption issues had again reached the level of the CMC. Additionally, multiple senior officers and defence industry executives have not been seen attending public events, suggesting that additional corruption investigations remain in progress,” the Pentagon report said.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the allegations were outlined during a closed-door briefing on Saturday attended by senior military officers, shortly before China’s Ministry of National Defence announced an investigation into Zhang Youxia. The Ministry said Zhang was suspected of serious violations of party discipline and state law, without elaborating on the charges.

CMC members’ purge

Beijing has detained or suspended multiple members of its Central Military Commission. In March 2025, CMC Vice Chairman He Weidong was reportedly detained and has not made any public appearances since the end of the National People’s Congress in early March last year. As one of two CMC vice chairmen, he shared responsibility with Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia for direct oversight over the 15 departments, commissions, and offices of the CMC.

“He’s likely detention indicates how over a decade into Xi’s anti-corruption campaign, corruption still extends to even the most senior officers who have been promoted during Xi’s tenure. In November 2024, Admiral Miao Hua— head of the CMC Political Work Department (PWD) and the PLA’s top political officer – was publicly suspended from duty on suspicion of “serious violations of discipline.” Miao had authority over political education, party organisations within the military, and had overall responsibility for “maintaining loyalty within the PLA”. Investigations into these military leaders indicate Beijing is willing to purge the military of perceived disloyalty, regardless of the disruptive impact on the PLA.

The total number of PLA leaders removed for corruption or other unprofessional conduct is hard to assess, but expulsions from party and state bodies are a barometer for measuring the extent of the removals. The Pentagon report said 2023 saw at least 10 officers dismissed from the National People’s Conference (NPC), China’s national legislature, including then-Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu and nine additional general officers, presumably for connections to corruption. At least another four officers were removed from the NPC in 2024.

In February 2024, a month before the NPC was due to meet, a theatre deputy commander was dismissed. Later in the year, a PLA Army (PLAA) deputy commander and a retired deputy commander were removed, as well as the replacement for the Southern Theatre Command deputy commander, who had been dismissed for corruption just 12 months before.

Several military members of the CCP Central Committee have also apparently been placed under investigation for corruption. General Xu Zhongbo, the PLA Rocket Forces political commissar, was investigated for two months before being replaced by a PLAAF political commissar in July 2023.

General Qin Shutong, the PLAA political commissar, and Admiral Yuan Huazhi, the PLAN political commissar, have not been seen since October 2024 and are likely under investigation; General Qin was replaced in December 2024 by a PLAAF political commissar. General Wang Chunning, previously identified as the People’s Armed Police (PAP) commander, has not been seen since November 2024, the Pentagon report noted.

The recent removal of Vice Chairman He, Admiral Miao, political commissars of three of the four services, and the head of China’s internal security forces for corruption has decreased China’s leaders’ confidence in the reliability of PLA leadership. The number of personnel removed likely has implications for the PLA’s progress towards its 2027 modernisation goals, which include a Taiwan plan.