Corruption's Empire: From Water-Filled Missiles to Sold Ranks... What is going in China's military

In the latest salvo of Xi Jinping’s relentless campaign to root out corruption within China’s military, Beijing announced late last month that it was investigating the military’s second-highest officer and a childhood friend of Mr. Xi, General Zhang Youxia, along with Chief of Staff General Liu Zhenli.

The shocking purge reduced the Central Military Commission to just two members — Mr. Xi and one disciplinary official — down from seven when they took office in 2022.

The move comes after Beijing expelled nine senior People’s Liberation Army officials in October 2025, bringing the total number of purged officers to well over a hundred since the Chinese leader intensified his crackdown in 2023.

Here is what is really going on.