China has expelled two prominent military leaders, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, from the Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), citing serious disciplinary violations including disloyalty, corruption, and factionalism, according to an official announcement released Monday.

Zhang Youxia, who served as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC)—the highest military authority in China—and was widely regarded as one of President Xi Jinping’s closest allies, and Liu Zhenli, a CMC member and chief of staff of its Joint Staff Department, were both subject to investigations that were made public earlier this year. The two were formally removed from the state CMC in late August.

Since assuming power in 2012, Xi Jinping has overseen an extensive anti-corruption campaign across China’s vast bureaucratic and military apparatus. This effort has led to the investigation and expulsion of numerous senior officials, with the military increasingly becoming a key area of focus. The recent removals have left only two active members on the previously seven-person CMC, including Xi himself, who serves as its chair.

Official documents cited by state media charged Zhang and Liu with “seriously violating political discipline and political rules,” engaging in the formation of “cliques and factions,” and demonstrating disloyalty and dishonesty to the party. The leadership further accused them of failing to enforce strict party discipline and lacking adequate supervision over their staff and family members.

The statements indicated that Zhang and Liu “crossed red lines and basic limits,” with intertwined political and economic misconduct marked by corrupt personal enrichment, dereliction of duty, and abuse of office. The scale of the alleged corruption was described as “exceptionally large,” with profound negative impacts.

While corruption allegations have been a recurring motif in disciplinary actions against senior PLA officers, the explicit charges of political disloyalty and faction-building represent an unusual and significant development. Dennis Wilder, a former CIA China analyst and senior fellow at Georgetown University, described these accusations as “unprecedented” in the context of recent military disciplinary cases.

The purge reflects ongoing efforts by Xi to consolidate control over China’s military and eliminate potential rivals or dissenting factions within the PLA, reinforcing his authority over one of the country’s most powerful institutions.