Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China (left), and Liu Zhenli, member of the Central Military Commission and Chief of the Joint Staff Department [EPA Yonhap News]

The Chinese military has identified the serious undermining of the centralized system under Chairman Xi Jinping of the Central Military Commission as the reason for the abrupt downfall of Zhang Youxia, the second-ranked Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli, a member of the Central Military Commission.

In an editorial on the 25th, the People's Liberation Army Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, stated, "Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, as senior cadres of the Party and the military, severely betrayed the trust of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, and severely violated and destroyed the system of the Chairman of the Military Commission's responsibility. They severely promoted political and corruption issues that affected the Party's absolute leadership over the military and undermined the foundation of the Party's rule."

The editorial continued, "The two severely damaged the image and prestige of the Military Commission's leadership, and severely impacted the political and ideological foundation of unity and endeavor among officers and soldiers. This is extremely destructive to the military's political construction, political ecosystem, and combat effectiveness, and has had an extremely negative impact on the Party, the state, and the military."

It added, "Investigating and dealing with Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli in accordance with discipline and regulations will be a further step in political fundamental reform, the elimination of ideological toxins, and the removal of organizational purulence."

The previous day, the Chinese military announced that Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia and Central Military Commission member Liu Zhenli were suspected of "serious disciplinary violations and illegal activities," and that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China had decided to file a case for their investigation and review.

In the past, the People's Liberation Army Daily has published commentaries explaining the background of purges of high-ranking military officials and emphasizing the military's obedience to the Party.

Today's editorial placed "violation and destruction of the system of the Chairman of the Military Commission's responsibility" at the forefront. This is a somewhat different narrative approach compared to the editorial concerning the purge of He Weidong, the third-ranked Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Miao Hua, a member of the Central Military Commission, in October last year, which cited "large-scale corruption" as the main reason and added "destruction of the system of the Chairman of the Military Commission's responsibility" as a secondary issue.

The system of the Chairman of the Military Commission's responsibility is a principle re-established by Chairman Xi during his first term in 2014 at the All-Army Political Work Conference, signifying further concentration of military command authority and defense decision-making power in Xi Jinping's hands. It is essentially a concentration of "Party leadership" into "Xi Jinping's leadership."

This principle was evaluated as important in that it defines the organizational principles of the Chinese military in the Xi Jinping era.

However, there was also an instance where an opinion that could be interpreted as "disagreement" with the system of the Chairman of the Military Commission's responsibility appeared in the People's Liberation Army Daily. In late 2024, a commentary stated, "Decisions on major issues must be made through collective discussion, and individuals must obey the organization, and the minority must obey the majority. Individuals cannot rise above the collective leadership."

This was a commentary titled "Take the Lead in Upholding Collective Leadership" written by Shao Tianzhang, who was affiliated with the Luohe sub-military region in Henan Province. This commentary attracted the attention of overseas Chinese observers, and a few days later, the People's Liberation Army Daily re-emphasized the system of the Chairman of the Military Commission's responsibility on its front page, bringing the situation to a close.

In this context, today's editorial in the People's Liberation Army Daily, by bringing the "system of the Chairman of the Military Commission's responsibility" back to the forefront, lends weight to the observation that the "downfall of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli" should be viewed as a political issue, such as factional formation, rather than a corruption issue.

According to Lianhe Zaobao in Singapore, Ding Shu-fan, Emeritus Professor at the Institute of East Asian Studies at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, explained, "Corruption is likely not the biggest problem; the economic issues became the charges after accusations were made in the political realm. The cases of Miao Hua and He Weidong, and Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, are on separate tracks, and there are theories that the two sides accused each other."

Meanwhile, the People's Liberation Army Daily editorial emphasized regarding the decision to investigate Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli that it "once again demonstrated that the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission have no sanctuaries in punishing corruption and are comprehensive and zero-tolerance." It further stressed that "resolutely investigating and dealing with Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli is a significant achievement in the Party and the military's anti-corruption struggle, and holds important significance for winning the attack, decisive battles, and total war of the military's anti-corruption struggle."

The editorial concluded, "All officers and soldiers of the entire military must resolutely uphold the decisions of the Party Central Committee and consciously maintain a high degree of alignment in thought, politics, and action with the Party Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core. They must resolutely obey the command of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Xi, ensuring a high degree of centralized unity and pure solidarity."