Three Chinese Lawmakers With Ties To Defence Sector Sacked As Probe Into Top General Intensifies

Last Updated:February 05, 2026, 17:39 IST

Three Chinese defence lawmakers - Zhou Xinmin, Liu Cangli and Luo Qi - were sacked amid a probe into top general Zhang Youxia for corruption and leaking nuclear secrets to US.

Zhang Youxia (Image Credits: AP)

Three Chinese lawmakers in the defence sector have been sacked, state media reported. This come in the wake of an investigation of the country’s top general Zhang Youxia.

According to Reuters, the sacked lawmakers are Zhou Xinmin, the former head of state-owned conglomerate Aviation Industry Corp of China, which produces most of China’s military aircraft and drones, longtime nuclear-weapons researcher Liu Cangli and Luo Qi, chief engineer of state-owned nuclear-power giant China National Nuclear Corp.

The Chinese military’s top general, Zhang Youxia, the senior of the two vice chairs of the powerful Central Military Commission, is being investigated for suspected serious violations of discipline and law.

Also Read: China’s Top Military General Accused Of Leaking Nuclear Secrets To US, Accepting Bribes: Report

Citing people familiar with a closed-door briefing attended by senior military officers, the Wall Street Journal reported that Zhang faces far-reaching allegations, including passing core technical data on China’s nuclear arsenal to US authorities and taking large sums of money in exchange for promoting officers within the military’s powerful procurement system.

According to the report, Zhang was also accused of forming political cliques that undermined Communist Party unity and abusing his authority within the CMC, the party’s top military decision-making body.

Analysts believe the purges are designed both to reform the military and to ensure loyalty to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who also chairs the military commission. They are part of a broader anti-corruption drive that has punished more than 200,000 officials since Xi came to power in 2012.

Another member of the commission, Liu Zhenli, has also been placed under investigation by China’s ruling Communist Party, a Defense Ministry statement said. Liu is the chief of staff of the commission’s Joint Staff Department. The commission is the top military body in China.

In February 2025, former AVIC head Tan Ruisong was expelled from the party for corruption.

News world Three Chinese Lawmakers With Ties To Defence Sector Sacked As Probe Into Top General Intensifies

Read More