2026-08
At the end of August 2026, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress made a decision to dismiss Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from their posts.
2026-09-27
Xinhua News Agency announced that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli have been expelled from the Party and the military, their credentials as delegates to the 20th National Congress terminated, and their cases transferred to military judicial authorities for handling.
2026-09-24
The CCP plans to convene the Fifth Plenary Session in October, with publicly announced agenda items including the discussion of several major issues within the Party; the cases of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli are said to potentially become agenda items for the meeting.
2026-01-19
Reports indicate that around the time Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were detained, Wang Qishan also lost his freedom and is facing a secret investigation by a central special investigation group headed by Cai Qi.
2026-09-23
Official announcements state that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli have been severely disciplined for violations of party discipline and laws, expelled from the Chinese Communist Party and the military, and transferred to military procuratorial organs, sparking rumors of military unrest and a power struggle.
2026-09-23
On September 23, the PLA Daily published an editorial accusing Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli of abandoning their original aspirations and engaging in clique-forming, which severely endangered the Party's absolute leadership over the military, stating that investigating the two is a major victory for military anti-corruption.
2026-09-21
On September 21, official announcements stated that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were expelled from the Chinese Communist Party and the military due to serious violations of discipline and law.
2026-09-21
The Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee held a meeting ahead of schedule to completely expel Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from the Party and the military, and transfer them to military procuratorial organs for review and prosecution.
2026-09-21
Xi Jinping convened a Politburo meeting, reclassified the charges against Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, and expelled them from the CCP, while also approving personnel adjustments for the party secretaries of six provinces.
2026-09-21
According to the source material, the Politburo on September 21 expelled Ma Xingrui, Wang Lixia and 7 others — 8 Central Committee members in total — from the Party, including Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli; the related disciplinary actions are still pending ratification by the plenary session.
2026-09-21
On September 21, the CCP Politburo meeting reviewed and approved disciplinary decisions for Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, both of whom were expelled from the Party and the military, and their suspected criminal matters were transferred to the military procuratorial organ for investigation and prosecution.
2026-09
Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, who were arrested, were announced to be expelled from the Party and the military, and transferred to a military court; this news was released nine months after their arrest.
2026-09
On the eve of Xi Jinping's visit to the United States, officials announced that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli had been handed over to a military court and expelled from the Party and the military.
2026-08-28
On August 28, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress issued an announcement declaring the removal of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from their respective positions.
2026-08-28
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress removed Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from their posts on the Central Military Commission of the State, and their qualifications as deputies to the National People's Congress were subsequently terminated.
2026-08-28
A session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress announced the removal of Zhang Youxia as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the state and Liu Zhenli as a member of the Central Military Commission of the state, and terminated the two people's qualifications as deputies to the National People's Congress.
2026-08-28
On August 28, 2026, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China issued a decision announcing the removal of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from their relevant posts.
2026-08-28
On August 28, 2026, a meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress abruptly removed Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia and Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission Liu Zhenli from their military posts.
2026-08-25
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress has opened its session, with the agenda including deliberation of a report on the qualifications of individual delegates, which may involve Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli.
2026-01-25
On January 25, 2026, the front page of the PLA Daily convicted Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli over the filing of their case, with the charge being a serious violation of the system of the Chairman of the Military Commission assuming sole responsibility; overseas disclosures claim that the Ministry of National Defense belongs to the civilian system, and that it is the perpetrator convicting the victim.
2026-01-24
The Ministry of National Defense announced that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli are suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and have been placed under investigation; a PLA Daily editorial subsequently stated that the two seriously trampled upon and undermined the system of the CMC chairman's responsibility.
2026-01-24
On January 24, 2026, the Ministry of National Defense announced that Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli, Chief of the Joint Staff Department, were suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and had been placed under case investigation.
2026-01-24
Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were officially announced to be investigated for “seriously trampling and undermining the Chairman’s responsibility system of the Central Military Commission”, indicating intense power struggles at the top.
2026-01-24
Between late 2025 and early 2026, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were plotted against and confirmed to be taken down. Subsequently, in late August 2026, the National People's Congress explicitly relieved Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli of their positions as deputies to the NPC and members of the Central Military Commission, among other posts, drawing external attention to the rift between the military and the central leadership.
2026-01-24
Reports that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli had run into trouble broke the earlier private pact in Zhongnanhai and triggered subsequent political turmoil.
2026-01-24
Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the CCP Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli, member of the Central Military Commission, were involved in an incident at the Central Party School. Subsequently, the Ministry of National Defense officially announced their investigation on January 24, and on January 25, the front page of the PLA Daily convicted them of "severely trampling on the Chairman of the Central Military Commission responsibility system."
2026-01-24
On January 24, 2026, the Ministry of National Defense announced that Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli, Chief of the Joint Staff Department, are suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, and that the CPC Central Committee has decided to place both under investigation.
2026-01-24
The video claims that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were arrested in January 2026, without providing a specific date or official confirmation.
2026-01-20
According to sources outside the Great Firewall, Zhang Youxia, the first vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli, the Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission, were both in trouble and arrested on January 20.
2026-01-20
After Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were absent from the opening ceremony of the seminar for provincial and ministerial-level officials on January 20, 2026, reports emerged that they had run into trouble. On January 24, the Ministry of National Defense announced that both had been placed under case investigation.
2026-01-20
An overseas source inside the system claimed that on January 20, 2026, while a provincial- and ministerial-level seminar was in session at the Central Party School, a secret force raised by Wang Xiaohong, disguised as Party School staff, carried out a surprise attack on Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli; this version cannot be verified, but neither of the two has appeared in public since.
2025
Sources claim that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli directed the military to control the venue during the Fourth Plenum of the 20th Central Committee; it is alleged that Hu Jintao had not agreed to handle the top figure at the venue; this claim has no public reports to corroborate it.