Top Chinese military leaders Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli have been placed under investigation for suspected “serious” disciplinary violations, the Ministry of National Defence says.
Zhang is the first-ranked vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), China’s top military command body headed by President Xi Jinping, while Liu is chief of its Joint Staff Department.
His position on the CMC makes Zhang the highest-ranking uniformed officer in the Chinese military.
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Zhang and Li were “suspected of serious violations of discipline and law”, the ministry said in a short announcement on Saturday evening.
“After deliberation by the CPC Central Committee, it was decided to initiate an investigation into Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli,” the ministry said, referring to the Communist Party’s highest decision-making body.
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Zhang is also a member of the 24-man Politburo, the party’s centre of power.
