Behind China’s decision to axe one of its most powerful generals

General Zhang Youxia, the operational head of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and a vice-chair of the Central Military Commission (CMC), was placed under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law,” Beijing said on Saturday.

Foreign media reports have since alleged that Zhang leaked sensitive nuclear weapons information to the United States, accepted bribes to influence promotions and built political cliques within the military.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the accusations were laid out during a closed-door briefing attended by some of China’s highest-ranking officers, hours before authorities announced the inquiry.

The allegations mark an extraordinary fall for a figure long regarded as politically untouchable. Zhang, 75, is a war veteran, the son of a founding PLA general, and a childhood acquaintance of Xi.

He is also one of the few remaining senior commanders with direct combat experience, having fought in China’s brief but bloody border war with Vietnam in 1979.

Nuclear leak

Investigators reportedly linked Zhang to a security breach in China’s nuclear sector uncovered during a separate corruption probe into Gu Jun, a former senior executive at China National Nuclear Corporation.

Gu, who oversaw both civilian and military nuclear programmes, is himself under investigation, and was said to have presented evidence implicating Zhang.

Zhang’s removal also comes amid a broader purge of China’s military leadership, as Xi seeks to reshape the PLA ahead of the Communist Party’s next major leadership transition in 2027.

In October, nine senior generals were removed in a single sweep, including He Weidong, a former second-ranked CMC vice-chair. Another serving CMC member, Liu Zhenli, is now also under investigation.

As a result, the powerful CMC has been reduced to just two members, one of them Xi himself, leaving the body at its smallest size in history.

The shake-up has raised concerns among analysts about short-term disruptions to military decision-making, readiness and operational tempo.

It also casts uncertainty over China’s long-term military ambitions, including Xi’s stated goal of building a “world-class” fighting force by 2049.

US gains confidence

As Beijing grapples with allegations of a major security breach involving its nuclear programme, Washington appears increasingly confident about recalibrating its strategic priorities.

The United States no longer sees China as its top security threat, according to the Pentagon’s 2026 National Defense Strategy, marking a sharp shift from a decade of policy that cast Beijing as Washington’s primary long-term rival.

Instead, the strategy places the defence of the US homeland and the Western Hemisphere at the centre of American military planning, aligning with President Donald Trump’s broader push to “restore American pre-eminence” in the Americas and revive the Monroe Doctrine.

The document calls on allies in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, including South Korea, to shoulder a greater share of their own defence, arguing that the US will no longer compensate for what it describes as allied security shortfalls.

While China remains a concern, the Pentagon says it will pursue deterrence rather than containment, approaching relations through strength, not confrontation and focusing on threats that directly affect US interests.

The shift underscores growing confidence in Washington’s strategic position, even as allegations of internal leaks and leadership turmoil cast fresh doubts over cohesion and trust within China’s military establishment.

And with the PLA still undergoing deep internal turmoil, observers warn that Beijing’s ability to project strength — including towards Taiwan — may be less assured than official rhetoric suggests.