Zhang Youxia’s Disappearance: China’s Military Purge Signals CCP’s Final Endgame

Commentary On Jan. 20, 2026, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli—two of China’s highest-ranking military leaders—were found absent from the opening of a study session for provincial- and ministerial-level officials of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Zhang is a vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and a member of the CCP’s top decision-making body Politburo. […]