China Removes Two Generals From State Military Commission

China’s top legislature voted on August 28, 2026, to remove two senior generals from positions on the state Central Military Commission, formally changing the publicly documented leadership of the country’s military command.

The Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress approved the removal of Zhang Youxia as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China and Liu Zhenli as a member of the commission. The vote took place at the closing meeting of the committee’s 24th session in Beijing, according to a Xinhua report and an official account published by China’s State Council.

What changed

Zhang had been the state CMC’s vice chairman and a member of the Communist Party’s Politburo. Reuters described him as the highest-ranking uniformed officer below President Xi Jinping in China’s military leadership. Liu had served as a state CMC member and chief of the CMC Joint Staff Department.

The August 28 decision changed the publicly documented membership of the state commission. It did not, by itself, establish that the two men had been removed from every military or Communist Party position.

The investigations announced in January

The removals followed an announcement by China’s Ministry of National Defense on January 24, 2026, that Zhang and Liu had been placed under investigation for “suspected serious violations of discipline and law.”

Chinese authorities have not publicly detailed the conduct under investigation in the official announcement reviewed for this report. The statement does not establish a finding of guilt, a criminal conviction or a final disciplinary ruling.

South China Morning Post also reported that the two generals had been under investigation since January. Reuters independently confirmed the August 28 state CMC action and the men’s senior roles.

Why the Party and state commissions matter

China maintains parallel Central Military Commission structures: one under the Communist Party and one as a state institution. The August 28 vote specifically concerned Zhang’s and Liu’s positions on the state CMC.

Reuters reported that neither officer had been formally or publicly stripped of equivalent positions on the Communist Party’s CMC. That distinction is important: the legislative vote alone does not establish that their Party CMC positions have also been removed.

What the decision means

The immediate consequence is clear: China has formally changed the membership of its senior state military command after investigations involving two high-ranking officers.

The broader effects remain uncertain. The public record reviewed does not show that the vote by itself changes China’s military policy, approach to Taiwan, operational readiness or succession planning. Those questions would require additional evidence, including Party CMC personnel decisions, formal disciplinary findings, court or prosecutorial action, and appointments to fill the vacancies.

For outside governments and security officials, the personnel change is nevertheless significant. Zhang and Liu held central positions in China’s military hierarchy, and their removal adds to the need to assess leadership continuity and how military decisions are being managed during an ongoing anti-corruption campaign.

The next developments to watch are any announcement concerning the parallel Party CMC, the outcome of the investigations, and the appointment of replacements to the state commission. Until those records appear, the August 28 vote should be understood as a confirmed change to the state CMC—not proof of a broader change in China’s military policy or operational posture.

Sources

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