China’s Top Military Generals Expelled From Party Over Alleged Corruption

China has expelled two of its most senior military officers, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, from the ruling Communist Party following investigations into alleged corruption and other violations. State news agency Xinhua reported on Monday that senior party officials had approved their expulsion and referred their cases to military legal authorities for review and prosecution. Zhang, who served as the senior of two vice chairmen of China’s Central Military Commission, was the country’s highest-ranking general before his removal. Both officers were announced as being under investigation in January over what authorities described as “serious violations of discipline and the law,” a phrase commonly used by Chinese authorities in corruption cases.

According to Xinhua, the investigations found that the two generals had allegedly accepted large sums of money for personal gain, formed cliques and used their positions to assist others with matters including job promotions. The agency said the cases involved “exceptionally large sums of money” and that the officers had crossed party rules and become disloyal to the Communist Party. Their removal forms part of President Xi Jinping’s long-running anti-corruption campaign, which has targeted senior figures across the military and government. Zhang and Liu were stripped of their positions on the state Central Military Commission last month, while Monday’s decision to expel them from the party remains subject to ratification by the Communist Party’s Central Committee at a plenary session.

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