China’s military leadership has launched a high-level investigation into Central Military Commission vice chair Zhang Youxia and PLA chief of staff Liu Zhenli, describing the case as involving serious violations of discipline and law and explicitly tying it to Xi Jinping’s authority as the military’s top commander.

The move targets two of the most senior uniformed figures under the Central Military Commission structure: Zhang as a vice chair at the apex of command and Liu as the chief of staff role associated with operational coordination and staff leadership.

The investigation was publicly announced through the Ministry of National Defense and is described as stemming from a decision taken at the Party’s top level, placing the matter within the Party-discipline framework rather than a routine personnel adjustment.

The allegations are framed as more than corruption-style wrongdoing, using language that treats the conduct as political and command-related, including claims that the two generals undermined the authority vested in the Central Military Commission chairman.

The stated mechanism in the case is enforcement of the “chairman responsibility system,” a formulation used to describe centralized command under the commission chairman and the Communist Party’s absolute leadership over the armed forces.

Confirmed vs unclear: What we can confirm is Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli have been placed under investigation in a case explicitly framed as undermining Xi Jinping’s authority / What’s still unclear is whether the action constitutes formal arrests or is being handled entirely through internal military disciplinary custody and procedures.

Zhang is described as having been removed from his post as the investigation proceeds, a step that immediately reshapes the top command tier and creates near-term pressure for interim coverage of responsibilities.

The development extends a leadership purge described as intensifying since 2023 across multiple branches and senior ranks, with the latest action standing out for reaching into the highest level immediately beneath Xi.

In institutional terms, the investigations leave the Central Military Commission described as operating with Xi and only one other active member while disciplinary work continues, and the defense establishment has indicated further updates will come as the investigations progress.