Zhang Youxia's fall
[People News]On February 26, the 21st session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) of the Chinese Communist Party concluded in Beijing. The meeting announced the removal of 19 deputies from their NPC positions, including 9 military generals. Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), who had previously been officially reported as “under investigation,” was not included on the removal list.
According to The Dajiyuan, the military representatives removed this time involve the Navy, Air Force, Army, and the Information Support Force, covering both the political commissar system and the operational system. Multiple lines within the military simultaneously saw representative qualifications revoked. Tian Hongjian (pseudonym), a person close to the CCP military system, disclosed to The Dajiyuan that the NPC removal list itself carries clear signaling significance.
Tian Hongjian said: “Multiple full generals had their representative qualifications revoked, and the scope is very broad. Both the political work system and the operational system had people taken down. This is not a single-point handling. I see that their real difficulty lies in how to handle Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli.”
Previously, CMC Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia was officially reported as being under investigation, but his NPC representative qualification has not been announced as revoked. Observers have noted that in the NPC Standing Committee’s two recent meetings, Zhang Youxia was not placed into the removal procedures.
Handling of Zhang Case Obstructed; Clear High-Level Disagreements
Tian Hongjian stated that there are obvious differences of opinion within the highest decision-making level, and that the NPC procedure has become a key checkpoint, making it difficult to reach a unified opinion before the Two Sessions. He said: “Right now, there is great pressure among them at the top level. The Zhang Youxia case has become a hot potato. What do you think they can do? Resistance sentiment among grassroots military officers has begun to rebound upward, forming reverse pressure. Military orders are not being smoothly carried out, and routine activities such as military inspection tours have almost come to a halt. The generals whose NPC representative qualifications were revoked this time were on a list arranged before Zhang Youxia, cases that had no internal disagreement.”
Over the past month, the CCP NPC Standing Committee has removed the representative qualifications of multiple Party and government officials in two meetings. In comparison, the cases of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli have consistently not entered the removal procedures.
Liu Gan (pseudonym), a system insider familiar with Beijing’s military-political structure, told The Dajiyuan that differences have emerged in how authorities are handling the Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli cases, which is not common. He said: “On January 24, it was announced that Zhang and Liu were taken down. Since it was characterized as a ‘Central decision,’ according to convention it should have been simultaneously submitted to the NPC to revoke their representative qualifications. But now there are unsynchronized actions at the level of the Politburo Standing Committee, and the NPC Standing Committee has not advanced procedures according to its previous rhythm. Zhang Youxia not being included in the removal list shows that a unified disposal plan has not yet been formed internally.”
According to CCP official media reports and public information, Zhang Youxia has long held important posts within the military system and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission. Liu Zhenli is currently a CMC member and Chief of the Joint Staff Department. Both are active-duty senior generals, ranking in the military system only below CMC Chairman Xi Jinping.
Abnormal Handling Rhythm; Cracks Emerge in the Decision-Making Level
Cai Ming (pseudonym), a former researcher at the NPC Legislative Affairs Commission, stated that removing military representatives’ qualifications by the NPC Standing Committee is a procedural action, usually coordinated with the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Military Discipline Inspection Commission, and the supervisory system. He said: “Within the CCP system, the NPC mainly assumes a procedural execution role. Once the discipline inspection department files a case and makes a determination on violations of discipline and law, the handling of NPC representative qualifications generally proceeds simultaneously. This is the operational characteristic of the CCP system.”
He also said: “The removal of multiple full generals this time shows that the rectification has touched the core layer of the military. But Zhang and Liu not being included in the list indicates that multiple forces within the Party are still contending.”
Liu Gan further analyzed that this round of high-level military rectification can roughly be divided into four stages, spanning about two years: “The first stage was the Rocket Force turbulence in 2023, when multiple senior officials fell in close succession, involving the equipment system and missile system, with the core focus on control rights and trust structure within strategic arms. The second stage was the adjustment of equipment and information systems in 2024, when the Information Support Force was established, the original system was dismantled, and technical and command structures were reorganized. The third stage was the extension of rectification to theater commands and political commissar systems in 2025, covering the Navy, Air Force, Army, and political work system, with the scope of rectification entering the command layer and political chain. The fourth stage is maneuvering at the CMC level, and there are currently no signs of stagnation.”
Liu Gan said: “At present, internal order within the military has been impacted. If the complete operation of the combat system is to be restored, it will require at least five to seven years.”
He believes that under the CCP’s highly centralized command system, political loyalty is placed above professional capability. Frequent high-level purges have repeatedly reorganized the command system, causing grassroots officers to adopt a wait-and-see attitude toward upper-level decisions, and morale has fluctuated. “If there is mutual distrust internally, the combat system will be difficult to stabilize. This is no longer simple anti-corruption, but the system itself consuming the military’s professional capacity.” △
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