China‘s highest-ranking general was purged by President Xi after a ‘gunfight in Beijing‘, a source has claimed.
Zhang Youxia, once considered Mr Xi’s most trusted confidant, is said to have ‘leaked nuclear secrets to the US’ ahead of his removal last week.
The crackdown formed part of a broader anti-corruption drive that has punished more than 200,000 officials since the president came to power in 2012.
Another ruling member of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Liu Zhenli, was also placed under investigation by China’s Communist Party.
It has now emerged Gen Zhang’s removal came as he allegedly handed over essential information on China’s nuclear weapons to the US.
Associate Professor Chong Ja Ian, from the National University of Singapore, commented on speculation over the 75-year-old’s downfall.
He told the BBC: ‘Everything from leaking nuclear secrets to the United States to plotting a coup and factional infighting. There are even rumours of a gunfight in Beijing.
‘But Zhang and Liu’s downfall along with the wild speculation highlight two things: that Xi remains unassailable and there are significant limits to information in Beijing which fuels uncertainty and feeds this speculation.’
Gen Zhang served in the Vietnam War and is a childhood friend of President Xi
President Xi (pictured) achieved total control of China’s armed forces after removing a top general over alleged ‘violations of discipline and law’
Gen Zhang served as operational leader of the PLA and a member of the ruling politburo before the Central Military Commission (CMC) launched an investigation into him on Saturday.
The military legislative body only vaguely described Zhang’s dismissal – citing violations of discipline and state law – but insiders pulled back the curtains on the severity of his alleged betrayals.
Sources also told The Wall Street Journal they had gathered information about an alleged leak of military secrets at a private briefing about the investigation over the weekend.
Aside from allegedly having loose lips with the country’s nuclear secrets, he was also accused of trying to undermine the Communist Party’s unity through ‘political cliques’ and of abusing his authority.
Gen Zhang was also said to have accepted bribes for official acts, including the promotion of former Defense Minister Li Shangfu – who was removed from his position in 2023 for corruption and purged from the party the following year.
Much of the bombshell evidence gathered against Gen Zhang was said to have come from Gu Jun, who formerly managed the China National Nuclear Corp.
This state-owned corporation oversees the nation’s civil and military nuclear programs.
Mr Gu is also being looked into for party discipline and state law violations.
‘There is no way they could pull off the Taiwan contingency with no senior leaders in charge,’ expert Lyle Morris said – pictured is the city centre of capital Taipei
At the closed-door Saturday meeting, authorities allegedly revealed the investigation into Gu linked Zhang to a nuclear data breach.
But the details of said infringement were not revealed, sources said.
The PLA Daily said the removal showed the Communist Party’s ‘zero tolerance’ approach to ‘punishing corruption… no matter who it is or how high their position’.
Experts say the removal of Gen Zhang, a childhood friend of President Xi, is likely to delay any attempt to seize Taiwan by force.
The general was thought of as central to modernisation efforts in the Chinese armed forces given his role as senior vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC).
Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank, likened President Xi’s actions to a ‘complete cleaning of the house… the biggest purge in Chinese history since 1949’.
Mr Morris added the removal could leave the PLA in ‘disarray’.
He told The Telegraph: ‘We can all sleep soundly for years.
Defense Minister Li Shangfu was removed from his position in 2023 after he was investigated for corruption
‘There is no way they could pull off the Taiwan contingency with no senior leaders in charge.’
The Communist Party expelled the other vice chair of the commission, He Weidong, last October and replaced him with commission member Zhang Shengmin.
And in 2024, the party expelled two former defence ministers over corruption charges.
The CMC has now been reduced to its smallest size in history, at just two members – including Mr Xi and Zhang Shengmin, the military’s anti-corruption watchdog who was promoted to CMC vice-chair in October.
Rumours circulated over the fate of Generals Zhang and Liu on Tuesday after they were absent from a televised party seminar.
One source familiar with the case told the South China Morning Post that General Zhang had been accused of corruption, including failing to control his own family members.
Christopher K Johnson, a former CIA analyst who follows elite Chinese politics, said Beijing is capable of pumping out impressive, hi-tech weaponary.
However, he said the country’s weakness is its lack of ‘software’ able to conduct large-scale military manoeuvres.
But Mr Morris added the removals in fact suggested President Xi has a ‘lot of support in the party and is fully in charge’.
Last year, rumours swirled in Beijing of a power struggle between Zhang and Xi.
Gen Zhang was said to be less bullish than President Xi about China’s prospects of success in seizing Taiwan.