Media: China’s top General investigated for leaking nuclear secrets, corruption

China’s senior-most general, Zhang Youxia, is under investigation for allegedly leaking information about the country’s nuclear weapons program to the United States and accepting bribes for official acts, including the promotion of an officer to defense minister, sources familiar with a high-level briefing on the allegations revealed, Wall Street Journal reports.

The briefing, attended on January 24 by some of the military’s top officers, preceded an official announcement by China’s Ministry of National Defense that Zhang, once considered President Xi Jinping’s most trusted military ally, was under investigation for “serious violations of party discipline and state laws.” Sources said the probe goes beyond this, scrutinizing Zhang for forming political cliques and abusing his authority within the Communist Party’s Central Military Commission.

Authorities are also examining Zhang’s oversight of a powerful agency responsible for military research, development, and procurement. He is alleged to have accepted substantial sums in exchange for promotions within this procurement system. The most serious accusation, the sources said, is that Zhang leaked core technical data on China’s nuclear weapons to the US. Some evidence reportedly comes from Gu Jun, former general manager of China National Nuclear Corp., who is also under investigation.

Zhang, 75, and Gu could not be reached for comment. Liu Pengyu, a spokesman at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said the party’s investigation underscores its “full-coverage, zero-tolerance approach to combating corruption.” Analysts describe Xi’s crackdown on the armed forces as the most aggressive since Mao Zedong’s era.

Zhang and Liu Zhenli, chief of the Joint Staff Department, are among China’s few senior generals with combat experience, having served in border clashes with Vietnam in the 1970s and 1980s. Zhang, a member of the elite Politburo, shares historical family ties with Xi—both their fathers fought together during the Chinese civil war.

“This move is unprecedented in the history of the Chinese military and represents the total annihilation of the high command,” said Christopher Johnson, head of China Strategies Group. Analysts note the purges could affect the People’s Liberation Army’s combat readiness in the short term, though they reinforce Xi’s consolidation of power.

By removing officers with entrenched networks, Xi is signaling that corruption, patronage, and compromised state secrets are existential threats to his authority and strategic goals, including Taiwan. “It’s not a sign of weakness, but of strength, for Xi,” said Lyle Morris, senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute. The purge has left the Central Military Commission with just one active uniformed officer, highlighting the sweeping impact of the leadership shake-up.

By Vafa Guliyeva