The Fall of Xi Jinping's Trusted General: Zhang Youxia Under Investigation
When General Zhang Youxia met with United States officials in Beijing during 2024, he projected an image of unwavering confidence as the most trusted military deputy of China's top leader, Xi Jinping. According to Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser who attended the meeting lasting at least an hour, Zhang did not appear concerned about looking over his shoulder to ensure he was pleasing the supreme leader.
Sudden Shattering of Invulnerability
That perception of Zhang's invulnerability and intimate closeness to Xi was dramatically shattered over the weekend when China's defence ministry announced he was under investigation for unspecified breaches of laws and political discipline. At 75 years old, Zhang was certainly old enough for Xi to have ushered him into retirement gracefully. Instead, Xi has transformed him into a public pariah through this investigation.
An editorial published in the Liberation Army Daily on Sunday strongly hinted that Zhang was being accused of corruption and, perhaps more significantly, of disloyalty to Xi Jinping himself. The editorial stated that Zhang and another commander who fell alongside him, General Liu Zhenli, had "trampled on" the authority of the military chair—meaning Xi Jinping.
Personal Betrayal and Power Dynamics
"It reads more to suggest they really were challenging Xi, that it was really a personal betrayal," said a political scientist analyzing the situation. Some China experts believe Xi may have come to perceive Zhang as too powerful after the general's own rivals were eliminated in previous military purges, creating an imbalance in the power structure that needed correction.
Additional serious allegations have emerged alongside the official investigation. The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing anonymous sources, that Zhang has been accused of leaking nuclear secrets to the United States—a charge of immense gravity in China's security apparatus.
Timing Raises Questions About Recent Engagements
The timing of this investigation has drawn particular attention to Zhang's recent high-level international engagements, especially his 2024 meeting with US officials including Jake Sullivan. Sullivan clarified that their discussions about nuclear issues—conducted in the presence of approximately twenty other Chinese officers—were strictly general in nature.
Sullivan explained that he raised nuclear weapons in the context of China's overall military buildup, but emphasized that Zhang said nothing sensitive or even substantive on the topic during their conversation. This clarification attempts to address concerns about what might have been discussed during those high-level meetings just before Zhang's dramatic fall from grace.
The investigation represents a significant development in China's ongoing anti-corruption campaign within the military and highlights the precarious nature of power relationships at the highest levels of Chinese leadership. Zhang's case demonstrates how quickly even the most trusted officials can become targets when perceived as challenging the supreme leader's authority or when suspicions arise about their loyalty and conduct.
