China’s ruling Communist Party officially expelled two high-ranking military officers, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, on Monday, September 21, moving to prosecute them for corruption. The expulsion comes months after the Chinese Defense Ministry announced in January that the men were under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and the law,” a common euphemism used in China for corruption.
The fall of Zhang Youxia has particularly shocked observers. Previously serving as the more senior of the two vice chairmen on the Central Military Commission (CMC), Zhang was China’s highest-ranked general and was widely perceived to have a close relationship with President Xi Jinping. The expulsions align with the sweeping anti-graft campaign that has heavily defined Xi’s tenure in power.
State news agency Xinhua, sharing details of the cases for the first time, reported that the investigations involved “exceptionally large sums of money”. According to the investigation, Zhang and Liu “become disloyal to the Party … and crossed red lines” by forming cliques and accepting huge sums of money for personal gain. The report also noted that the generals abused their positions to assist others with job promotions.
Top officials meeting in Beijing decided to expel the men from the Party and refer their cases to military legal bodies for “review and prosecution,” a move that remains subject to final ratification at a plenary session of the Party’s Central Committee. The two officers had already been stripped of their positions in the state CMC last month.
Xinhua framed the move as a demonstration of the state’s resolve, stating that the decision “reaffirms the firm position that… there is absolutely no place for corrupt elements to hide within the military”