Zhang Youxia

Biography

Zhang Youxia was born in July 1950 in Beijing, with ancestral roots in Weinan, Shaanxi Province. He joined the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in December 1968 and the Communist Party of China (CPC) in May 1969. Zhang graduated from the Basic Department of the PLA Military Academy with a junior college education. He is the son of Zhang Zongxun, a Communist general in the Chinese Civil War, giving him princeling status, and his father and CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping's father both come from the Weinan region of Shaanxi and served in the First Field Army.

Zhang had combat experience from China's 1979 invasion of Vietnam, a distinction few serving PLA generals possess. He attained the rank of major general in 1997 and lieutenant general in 2007, and was promoted to General in July 2011. Zhang became a member of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in 2007.

Career History

• 1968-1971: Soldier, 6th Company, 119th Regiment, 40th Division, 14th Army, Ground Force
• 1971-1977: Staff officer, Combat Training Section, Headquarters, 119th Regiment, 40th Division, 14th Army, Ground Force
• 1990-1994: Commander, 40th Division, 14th Group Army, Ground Force
• 2000-2005: Commander, 13th Group Army, Ground Force
• 2005-2007: Deputy Commander, PLA Beijing Military Area Command
• 2007-2012: Commander, PLA Shenyang Military Area Command
• 2012-2016: Director, PLA General Armaments Department (later Equipment Development Department)
• 2017: Member of CCP Politburo and second-ranked CMC vice chairman
• 2022: First-ranked CMC vice chairman

As director of the Equipment Development Department, Zhang headed China's human spaceflight program and was chief flight officer of the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft. He served in key regional commands including postings associated with China's northern and western strategic directions, exposing him to issues ranging from border defense and internal security to coordination with civilian authorities. Zhang met with Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa in 2022, where both sides pledged to increase military ties.

In January 2026, Zhang was detained and became one of the highest-ranking military officers to fall from power since the Lin Biao incident in 1971. The Ministry of National Defense announced Zhang was placed under investigation due to suspected 'serious violations of discipline' by the CCP Central Committee.

This is an automatically generated Light profile created by Executive Moves editorial systems from verified public announcements. Information is kept deliberately concise until the page is claimed and enriched.