Khaberni - The American newspaper Wall Street Journal revealed that Zhang Youxia, the highest general in China and one of the most prominent allies of Chinese President Xi Jinping, is now under investigation for major charges, including the leaking of sensitive information about China's nuclear weapons program to the United States.
The newspaper stated that these accusations were disclosed during a military briefing attended by some of the country’s senior military officers this past Saturday morning.
According to the newspaper, the charges against the Chinese military commander include receiving bribes in exchange for promotions and high military positions, including assisting a former defense minister to rise to his position.
In addition to financial corruption and leaking information about the Chinese nuclear weapons program, the Chinese military official is also accused, according to the American newspaper, of building influence networks that undermine the unity of the party, and misusing his power in the party's top military decision-making body, known as the Central Military Commission.
Yesterday, on Saturday, the Chinese Defense Ministry announced that the ruling Communist Party had decided to open an investigation against two senior military officials, Zhang You Xia and Liu Chen Li.
The ministry mentioned that Zhang is a member of the Communist Party's Political Bureau and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, while Liu holds the chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Central Military Commission.
Close Ally of the President
Reuters reported that Zhang (75 years old) is one of the proponents of modernization and is widely seen as the military's closest ally to President Xi Jinping, and one of the few prominent officers with combat experience.
Furthermore, he is one of the vice-chairmen of the Central Military Commission, which represents the supreme command organization of the Chinese armed forces.
The agency indicated that the military was one of the main targets of a wide-ranging anti-corruption campaign ordered by Xi in 2012, which reached the highest levels of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in 2023 when the Rocket Force was targeted.
Eight senior generals from the Communist Party were expelled for illicit gains in October 2025, including the country's second general, He Wei Dong, who served under Xi and with Zhang in the Central Military Commission.
Two former defense ministers from the ruling party have been dismissed in recent years on charges related to corruption.
Diplomats and foreign security analysts are closely monitoring the developments, given Zhang's closeness to Xi, the importance of the work of the Commission in terms of leadership, as well as the ongoing military modernization of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and its military stance.
