The Communist Party accused former military leaders Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli of factionalism and disloyalty, expelling them from the party and the armed forces following a Politburo meeting on Monday, state media reported.
Zhang was once a vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the highest-ranking uniformed member of the Chinese military, second only to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The CMC is China’s top military decision-making body.
Zhang was also a member of the Communist Party’s 24-member Politburo.
Liu was a CMC member as well and formerly served as chief of its Joint Staff Department.