Three Chinese lawmakers removed amid investigation into top general Zhang Youxia

Three Chinese lawmakers dismissed as probe into top general Zhang Youxia deepens

Three Chinese lawmakers with links to the defence and nuclear sectors have been removed from their positions, state media reported, amid an investigation into China’s top military general Zhang Youxia.

According to Reuters, those dismissed include Zhou Xinmin, former head of state-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC), which manufactures most of China’s military aircraft and drones; Liu Cangli, a longtime nuclear weapons researcher; and Luo Qi, chief engineer of state-owned China National Nuclear Corp. State media did not specify the reasons for their removal.

The dismissals come as China’s ruling Communist Party investigates Zhang Youxia, the senior vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), for suspected “serious violations of discipline and law.” Zhang is second only to President Xi Jinping in China’s military hierarchy and is considered a key ally of the Chinese leader.

The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with a closed-door briefing of senior military officials, reported that Zhang faces allegations including leaking core technical data related to China’s nuclear arsenal to the United States and accepting large sums of money in exchange for promotions within the military’s procurement system. He is also accused of forming political cliques that undermined party unity and abusing his authority within the CMC.

China’s Defence Ministry has confirmed that another senior official, Liu Zhenli, chief of staff of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department, is also under investigation. The CMC is China’s highest military decision-making body.

Analysts say the latest removals are part of President Xi’s broader anti-corruption drive aimed at tightening control over the military and ensuring loyalty to the leadership. Since coming to power in 2012, Xi’s campaign has punished more than 200,000 officials across sectors.

The dismissals were announced ahead of China’s annual National People’s Congress meeting, which will mark the beginning of a new five-year planning cycle. Xi has set a target of achieving full military modernisation by 2035, though the US Pentagon has warned that corruption could slow progress.

Zhou Xinmin, who was appointed AVIC chairman in March 2024, has already been removed from the company’s official website. AVIC held an internal anti-corruption meeting a day before his dismissal. Zhou is also a former senior executive at aircraft manufacturer COMAC.

Earlier, former AVIC head Tan Ruisong was expelled from the Communist Party for corruption in February 2025.