China's military has strengthened its fight against corruption over the past year, President Xi Jinping told members of the armed forces yesterday, in a rare public comment on corruption investigations linked to the country's top generals.
Two of China's top generals are under disciplinary investigations: He Weidong was dismissed in October last year, while Zhang Youxia was placed under investigation in January, representing one of the most significant purges in the Chinese military in recent decades.
“The past year has been unusual and extraordinary,” Xi said in a virtual address to the military. “The People’s Army has deepened political education, effectively responded to various risks and challenges, and undergone revolutionary tempering in the fight against corruption.”
The fall of Zhang and He, the two vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission, reduced China's seven-member top military leadership to a body of just two people - Xi as chairman of the Central Military Commission and newly appointed vice chairman Zhang Shengmin.
The remaining three members of the Central Military Commission are currently vacant. Li Shangfu was expelled in 2024 and Miao Hua in 2025, while Liu Zhenli was placed under investigation for corruption last month. An unknown number of commanders, including the heads of China's nuclear deterrent forces, have also been removed.
Zhang Youxia - one of the few remaining veterans with combat experience in the People's Liberation Army - would be among the key decision-makers on whether China would launch an attack on Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by Beijing.
The top military leadership is also under purges at a time when China is stepping up efforts to modernize its armed forces and project its military power beyond its borders.
In his virtual address on Wednesday, Xi instead praised ordinary members of the military, saying they were "reliable."
"Officers and soldiers throughout the army, especially those at the lowest levels, resolutely followed the party's leadership, loyally performed their duties, focused on overcoming difficulties, and successfully completed all tasks."
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