China’s Communist Party has expelled senior military figures Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from the Party and the armed forces, accusing them of serious disciplinary and legal violations, including forming “cliques and factions.”
Zhang, formerly a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and Liu, former chief of the CMC Joint Staff Department, are now being referred to military prosecutors.
Some analysts, however, have noted that the language in the latest official announcement appears less politically severe than earlier accusations published by the military, raising questions over whether the handling of the two generals has encountered resistance within the armed forces.
Beijing Details Charges Against Zhang and Liu
According to Chinese state media, the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo on Sept. 21 reviewed and approved two CMC reports detailing the investigation findings and proposed disciplinary action against Zhang and Liu.
The official announcement accused the two men of having “departed from the Party in thought and action,” crossed political “red lines,” seriously violated political discipline and rules, formed “cliques and factions,” and been “disloyal and dishonest” toward the Party.
Authorities also accused Zhang and Liu of using their positions to assist others with promotions in exchange for “huge sums of money,” improperly accepting gifts and cash, failing to fulfill political responsibilities, and failing to properly supervise relatives and staff around them.
The announcement said their cases involved both political and economic problems, corruption and dereliction of duty, and an “especially huge” amount of money. It described the nature of the alleged offenses as “extremely serious” and their impact as “extremely harmful.”
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