Zhang Youxia, second-in command under president Xi Jinping as chairman of the Central Military Commission, has long been seen as Xi’s closest military ally
China’s most senior general is under investigation, China’s defence ministry has confirmed, in the highest profile case to date in an aggressive anti-graft purge of senior military leadership in recent months.
Zhang Youxia serves as second-in-command under president Xi Jinping as vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission – the supreme command body – and has long been seen as Xi’s closest military ally.
The ministry announced on Saturday that Zhang and Liu Zhenli, chief of staff of the CMC’s joint staff department, were under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Zhang was accused of leaking information about the country’s nuclear-weapons program to the US, and accepting bribes for official acts, including the promotion of an officer to defence minister, citing people familiar with a high-level briefing on the allegations.
