Top Chinese general probed for alleged nuclear leak to US

Monday 26 January 2026 - 11:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Top Chinese general probed for alleged nuclear leak to US

China's highest-ranking general faces accusations of leaking sensitive nuclear arsenal information to the United States, according to the Wall Street Journal, in what analysts call the most sweeping military purge in modern Chinese history.

General Zhang Youxia, 75, first vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and long seen as President Xi Jinping's closest military ally, came under investigation Saturday for serious violations of discipline and law, the Chinese Defense Ministry announced. Liu Zhenli, the CMC's chief of staff overseeing combat planning, also faces scrutiny.

Official statements offered scant details, but the Wall Street Journal exclusively reported a confidential Saturday briefing revealed far graver charges against Zhang. Sources familiar with the briefing said he allegedly disclosed critical technical data on China's nuclear arsenal to the U.S. Evidence partly stems from Gu Jun, former general director of China National Nuclear Corporation, probed since January 19.

Zhang also faces charges of accepting hefty financial rewards for granting promotions in the military supply chain, including payments linked to elevating officers to defense minister. Other allegations include forming political factions to build influence networks threatening party unity and abusing CMC authority.

The official PLA Daily labeled these political crimes beyond mere corruption, stating Zhang and Liu gravely undermined the CMC chairman responsibility system, which grants Xi supreme military authority.

The probe into Zhang, a decorated veteran of the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese war whose father fought alongside Xi's father in China's civil war, has shrunk the CMC to its smallest size ever. Of seven members appointed in 2022, only Xi and Zhang Shengmin, the commission's anti-corruption chief promoted in October, remain.

"It's unprecedented in PLA annals and means the complete dismantling of top command," said Christopher K. Johnson, former CIA analyst and China Strategies Group president. Lyle Morris, senior researcher at Asia Society Policy Institute, called it the biggest purge since 1949, leaving the PLA in disarray.

Analysts say the purge reflects Xi's frustration with PLA modernization efforts ahead of the 2027 Taiwan readiness deadline. While some speculate internal power struggles, experts view it as Xi consolidating control rather than weakness.

"It's not a sign of weakness but strength for Xi," Morris said. Johnson agreed, noting real power struggles would resemble a "Night of the Long Knives," not a two-year process.