"Standing inches from Xi Jinping at a military ceremony in late December, China's highest ranking general, Zhang Youxia, may have had little inkling about the fate that was to befall him just a few weeks later when he was put under investigation. The 75-year-old's physical proximity to China's leader, who stands to his right, reflects the position he holds in China's hierarchy."
"But on Saturday, China's defence ministry announced that Zhang and Liu Zhenli, another CMC member, were under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law, party-speak for corruption. Zhang and Liu have not been formally removed from the party or the commission, but being placed under investigation is all but certain to lead to those outcomes. This is easily the most significant PLA purge in the post-Mao era, said Neil Thomas, a fellow on Chinese politics at the Asia Society thinktank."
Zhang Youxia, 75, vice-chair of the Central Military Commission and the second-most powerful military official after Xi Jinping, has been placed under investigation alongside CMC member Liu Zhenli for suspected serious violations of discipline and law, described as corruption. Both men remain nominally in the party and on the commission, but investigation is expected to lead to removal. The PLA's official newspaper accused them of betraying party trust, fostering political and corruption problems, and undermining the party's absolute leadership over the military. Precise details of the allegations have not been disclosed.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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