Chinese top general faces probe for ‘leaking nuclear weapons secrets to US
China’s defense ministry says it is investigating Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the supreme command body, for “suspected serious violations of discipline and law”.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Youxia is second-in-command under President Xi Jinping as has long been seen as his closest military ally
In a statement on Saturday, the ministry also said it was investigating Liu Zhenli, a member of the CMC and chief of staff of the CMC joint staff department, for the same reasons
The ministry did not provide further details but noted that the decision to place them under investigation was made by the Communist Party of China (CPC) central committee. Youxia is a member of the CPC political bureau.
However, people familiar with a briefing attended that morning by top Chinese officers told The Wall Street Journal on Sunday that Youxia has been accused of sharing key technical information on China’s nuclear weapons with the United States.
The general is also being investigated for alleged efforts to build his own circles of influence within the party’s top military decision-making body, sowing division in the organisation, the sources added.
Youxia and Zhenli are two of the few serving Chinese generals with combat experience since the days of border skirmishes with Vietnam. This investigation into the two is the highest in decades
The probe also comes days after the US released a new national defense strategy, acknowledging China as a military power that it said needs to be deterred from dominating the US or its allies
