The dramatic fall of Zhang Youxia, once China’s most senior uniformed military officer, is increasingly being viewed as a convergence of multiple serious concerns for President Xi Jinping—ranging from entrenched corruption and possible espionage to deep anxieties over the operational readiness of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Reports suggest that Zhang’s removal may be linked not only to alleged personal misconduct but also to systemic failures within China’s strategic missile forces that have alarmed both Beijing and foreign intelligence agencies.
According to accounts citing US intelligence, some of China’s nuclear-capable missiles deployed in silos in western regions of the country may have been effectively non-functional in a crisis scenario. These reports claim that the silo lids were so heavy or improperly designed that they could not open quickly, and that certain missiles were filled with water instead of fuel. Such revelations reportedly triggered the sweeping purge of the leadership of the PLA Rocket Force in 2023 and 2024 and are now believed to have played a role in Zhang Youxia’s downfall as well.
Zhang, long considered a close aide of Xi Jinping, was the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, China’s highest military decision-making body, making him the most powerful uniformed officer in the country after the president himself. Reports indicate that he was detained on January 19 on allegations that include leaking sensitive information related to China’s nuclear weapons programme to the United States, accepting bribes in exchange for promotions, and presiding over practices that undermined the PLA’s combat readiness.
Chinese state-linked media have framed the purge in uncompromising terms. A commentary in the PLA Daily, cited by the South China Morning Post, stressed the need for “strong and forceful measures” to eliminate corruption that weakens military capability and to root out senior figures—described as “big rats”—who misuse defence funds and compromise preparedness.
Zhang’s removal is the most high-profile episode in a broader campaign that has already seen the near-complete overhaul of the Rocket Force’s leadership. Analysts argue that this crackdown is not simply about corruption for its own sake, but about preventing it from becoming a strategic liability at a time of rising regional tensions. There is growing speculation that the investigation into Zhang is directly connected to concerns over nuclear security and reliability.
In 2024, Bloomberg reported, citing US intelligence officials, that entire missile fields in Xinjiang were fitted with silo lids that would have prevented effective missile launches. The report also highlighted severe equipment irregularities, including missiles allegedly filled with water rather than fuel, as emblematic of the corruption and negligence that prompted Beijing’s military purge.
However, this account has been contested. Asia Times argued that China does not keep its liquid-fuelled missiles filled with propellant while in silos, as doing so would cause corrosion. According to this view, missiles are normally stored empty, and the presence of water would imply deliberate sabotage rather than routine malpractice. The debate underscores the opacity surrounding China’s strategic forces and the difficulty of independently verifying such claims.
Strategic analysts note that Xi Jinping’s response to these revelations has been unusually severe, signalling how seriously he views the issue. A January 2025 analysis by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies argued that while some missile-related problems may have existed, Xi’s sweeping purge demonstrates a determination to rapidly strengthen China’s nuclear forces rather than allow vulnerabilities to persist.
The timing of Zhang’s fall is also geopolitically significant. It comes as China intensifies military drills near Taiwan—a territory Beijing claims under the One China policy—and adopts a more confrontational posture toward Japan over regional security issues. Many analysts within the Central Intelligence Agency have reportedly identified 2027 as a potential window in which China could attempt military action against Taiwan, making PLA readiness a top priority for Xi.
Commenting on the purges, Jonathan Czin, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told The Telegraph that the crackdown suggests intense focus rather than distraction. He said Xi appears “laser-focused” on operational effectiveness and is willing to act ruthlessly against senior officers to ensure the military is prepared for its core strategic objectives.
Former CIA analysts cited by The Telegraph similarly assessed that Xi’s campaign goes far beyond rooting out corruption. Instead, it is aimed squarely at ensuring the PLA—particularly its nuclear missile arm—is capable, reliable, and ready for high-intensity conflict. In this reading, Zhang Youxia’s removal is inseparable from the earlier purge of the Rocket Force leadership, both driven by fears that technical failures, corruption, or even espionage could fatally undermine China’s military ambitions at a decisive moment.
