Jan 24 (Reuters) – China’s Communist Party has decided to open an investigation into senior military officials Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli for suspected serious violations of discipline and law, China’s Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday.

Zhang is a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), while Liu is chief of staff of the CMC Joint Staff Department, according to the ministry.

Zhang, 75, is widely seen as President Xi Jinping’s closest military ally and one of just a few leading officers with combat experience. He is one of two vice-chairmen of the CMC, China’s supreme armed forces command organisation.

The military was one of the main targets of a broad corruption crackdown ordered by Xi in 2012. That drive reached the upper levels of the military in 2023 when the Rocket Force was targeted.

Eight top generals were expelled from the ruling Communist Party on graft charges in October 2025, including the country’s number two general, He Weidong. He had served under Xi and alongside Zhang on the Central Military Commission.

Two former defence ministers were also purged from the party in recent years for corruption. The crackdown is slowing procurement of advanced weaponry and hitting the revenues of some of China’s largest military firms.

(Reporting by Reuters newsroom; Editing by Tom Hogue)