China Ousts 4 Senior Military Commanders In Widening Purges

China has removed four senior military commanders from key positions in a widening purge within the highest ranks of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The dismissals, announced by the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee on Aug. 28, include Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, both former vice chairs of the Central Military Commission (CMC), along with Zhong Shaojun and Ju Qiansheng, signaling deepening instability in China’s defense leadership.

Zhang Youxia, once considered China’s top general and a long-serving CMC vice chair since 2018, was removed from the national CMC following his abrupt investigation in January on allegations of “serious violations of discipline and laws.” Liu Zhenli, also under investigation at the same time, was stripped of his CMC membership. Both officers were also members of the CCP’s Politburo, a body that wields significant influence over military affairs. While the NPC announcement did not provide specific charges, such language typically refers to corruption or disloyalty within the CCP’s anti-graft framework.

The removal of Zhang and Liu follows a broader wave of military purges that has reshaped China’s defense leadership. A February report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that over 100 senior commanders have been purged since 2022. Unlike many previous targets, Zhang and Liu are notable for their battlefield experience—Zhang in the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese conflict and Liu in border clashes with Vietnam during the 1980s. Their removal also has legal implications: as members of the NPC, they previously enjoyed immunity from arrest. Their expulsion strips that protection, potentially paving the way for criminal prosecution.

Zhong Shaojun, a longtime aide to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, was also removed from the NPC. Zhong served as Xi’s secretary in the early 2000s when Xi was posted in Zhejiang, a coastal province and economic powerhouse. He followed Xi through roles in Shanghai and later into central leadership in Beijing. After Xi assumed leadership of the CCP in 2012, Zhong was assigned to the CMC chairman’s office, serving directly under Xi and rising to the rank of senior colonel.

Ju Qiansheng, commander of the PLA Strategic Support Force, was similarly expelled from the NPC on Aug. 28. No reasons were provided for Zhong’s or Ju’s removal, as is typical in such announcements.

The ongoing purge reflects intensified scrutiny within the PLA. On Aug. 24, the military issued a public notice seeking tips on potential procurement violations in the Rocket Forces, a secretive unit responsible for China’s conventional and nuclear missile systems. This follows a 2023 notice from the PLA’s Equipment Development Department encouraging reports of corruption in hardware procurement dating back to 2017. Since then, China has removed two defense ministers and all four commanders of the Rocket Forces, raising concerns about the military’s operational readiness and internal cohesion.

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