China expels two senior military figures, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, from the Communist Party and the military, citing serious violations of discipline and law. Bloomberg and the Korea Times both report that authorities accuse them of political disloyalty and taking bribes, as President Xi Jinping continues a wider purge of the armed forces.
According to Xinhua, Zhang and Liu are removed from party and military posts after probes that were publicly signaled earlier in the year and followed by additional internal action later in 2023. The Korea Times provides further detail on their roles: Zhang is second-in-command under Xi as vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission and has been viewed as Xi’s close military ally, while Liu is a CMC member and chief of staff of the Joint Staff Department. The outlets converge on the description that the party investigation also includes allegations of forming cliques and factions, dereliction of duty, and other disciplinary breaches.
The main difference between coverage is emphasis. Bloomberg foregrounds the charge of “disloyalty” tied to bribe-taking as part of Xi’s armed-forces crackdown, while the Korea Times highlights the broader range of alleged misconduct and Zhang and Liu’s specific leadership positions within the Central Military Commission and its Joint Staff Department.
