00:00China's most senior general is under investigation, its defense ministry said on Saturday,
00:07in what is Beijing's highest-profile purge of the top brass to date.
00:13Zhang Youxia is being probed over suspected serious violation of discipline and law,
00:18the ministry said. He has not been seen in public since November,
00:22when he held talks with Russia's defense minister in Moscow.
00:26The veteran modernizer was widely seen as President Xi Jinping's closest military ally.
00:35The 75-year-old was Xi's second in command as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.
00:44Foreign diplomats and security analysts are watching developments closely,
00:48given Zhang's closeness to Xi. His removal may also impact the commission's work in terms of
00:56command, as well as the People Liberation Army's ongoing military modernization and posture.
01:02The military was one of the main targets of a broad corruption crackdown ordered by Xi in 2012.
01:09Eight top generals were expelled from the ruling Communist Party on graft charges in 2025.
01:16The ministry on Saturday said Liu Zhenli,
01:19chief of staff of the commission's Joint Staff Department, was also under investigation.
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