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Fan Chen

Jun Mai

Beijing has formally removed former senior officers Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli as members of China’s supreme military command.
The two generals have been under investigation for alleged discipline violations since January and were officially stripped of their positions on the Central Military Commission (CMC) at a meeting of the National People’s Congress’ Standing Committee on Friday.
As the CMC’s senior vice-chairman, Zhang was the highest-ranking uniformed officer in the Chinese military. Liu was chief of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department.
Zhong Shaojun, the former director of the CMC’s General Office, and Ju Qiansheng, the former commander of the PLA’s Strategic Support Force, were also removed from their positions.
The announcement was the first sign that the pair may be investigated for possible corruption.
A commentary by the PLA Daily in January said Zhang and Liu had betrayed the trust of the Communist Party and undermined the party’s absolute control of the military as well as the reputation of the armed forces.
Both Zhang and Liu are decorated veterans and took part in People’s Liberation Army campaigns against Vietnam in the late 1970s.
Their sudden downfall left the country’s top military command with only two members, Chinese President Xi Jinping and vice-chairman Zhang Shengmin, who is in charge of disciplinary affairs within the armed forces.
It also sends a stark message about Xi’s zero tolerance for lapses in party discipline and political purity.
In a separate case, Jiang Chaoliang, former banker and Hubei’s party chief during the initial Covid-19 outbreak, received a suspended death sentence for corruption on Friday.
He accepted more than 746 million yuan (US$111 million) in bribes, state news agency Xinhua reported.


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Zhang and Liu have been under investigation since January for alleged failures of discipline


Zhang and Liu have been under investigation since January for alleged failures of discipline.


China strips former generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli of top military positions

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Zhang and Liu have been under investigation since January for alleged failures of discipline

Zhang and Liu have been under investigation since January for alleged failures of discipline