‘Gunfight’ as Chinese general is purged by President Xi: Rumours sweep Beijing that ‘coup-plotting’ military chief was axed ‘for leaking nuclear secrets to US’

China’s highest-ranking general has been purged by President Xi following the ‘armed conflict in Beijing’, a source has claimed.

Zhang Youxia, once considered Mr Xi’s most trusted confidant, is said to have ‘leaked nuclear secrets to the US’ before being sacked last week.

The crackdown formed part of a broader anti-corruption drive that has punished more than 200,000 officials since the president came to power in 2012.

Another leading member of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Liu Zhenli, is also under investigation by the Chinese Communist Party.

Now, it has been revealed that General Zhang’s dismissal occurred because he allegedly passed important information about China’s nuclear weapons to the United States.

Associate Professor Chong Ja Ian from the National University of Singapore commented on speculation surrounding the 75-year-old’s downfall.

He told the BBC: ‘Everything from leaks of nuclear secrets to the US to coup planning and factional infighting. There are even rumors of armed conflict in Beijing.

‘But the collapse of Zhang and Liu, along with the wild speculation, underscores two things: the lack of suspicion towards Xi, and the significant information limitations in Beijing that fuel uncertainty and feed that speculation.’

President Xi (pictured) took full control of China’s armed forces after sacking a top general for alleged ‘violations of discipline and law’.

Gen Zhang served as the PLA’s operational leader and member of the ruling politburo before the Central Military Commission (CMC) launched an investigation against him on Saturday.

The military legislature described Zhang’s dismissal only vaguely — citing violations of discipline and state laws — but insiders obscured the seriousness of his alleged betrayals.

Sources also told the Wall Street Journal at a private briefing on the investigation over the weekend that they were gathering information about the alleged leak of military secrets.

Besides allegedly being lax about the country’s nuclear secrets, he was also accused of trying to undermine the unity of the Communist Party through ‘political cliques’ and abusing his authority.

Gen Zhang was also said to have accepted bribes for official actions, including the promotion of former Defense Minister Li Shangfu, who was deposed for corruption in 2023 and purged from the party the following year.

Much of the explosive evidence collected against General Zhang is said to have come from Gu Jun, who formerly ran the China National Nuclear Corporation.

This state-owned company oversees the country’s civilian and military nuclear programs.

Mr. Gu is also being investigated for violations of party discipline and state law.

“There’s no way they can handle the emergency in Taiwan without senior leaders,” expert Lyle Morris said – pictured in downtown Taipei

At a closed-door meeting on Saturday, officials allegedly revealed that the investigation into Gu was linked to Zhang’s nuclear data breach.

However, sources said that the details of the violation were not disclosed.

PLA Daily said the dismissal showed the Communist Party’s ‘zero tolerance’ approach to ‘punishing corruption… regardless of who they are or their position’.

Experts say the removal of Gen Zhang, President Xi’s childhood friend, would likely delay any attempt to seize Taiwan by force.

The general was thought to be at the center of modernization efforts in China’s armed forces, given his role as senior vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC).

Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Social Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank, likened President Xi’s actions to “a complete cleansing of the house… the largest purge in Chinese history since 1949.”

Mr Morris added that dismissal could leave the PLA in ‘disarray’.

He told The Telegraph: ‘We could all sleep well for years to come.

Defense Minister Li Shangfu removed from office in 2023 after being investigated for corruption

‘There is no way they can achieve the Taiwan emergency without responsible senior leaders.’

The Communist Party expelled the commission’s other vice chairman, He Weidong, last October and replaced him with commissioner Zhang Shengmin.

And in 2024, the party expelled two former defense ministers over corruption charges.

The CMC has now been reduced to its smallest size in history, with only two members; they include Mr. Xi and the military’s anti-corruption watchdog, Zhang Shengmin, who was promoted to CMC vice chairman in October.

Rumors began to circulate about the fate of generals Zhang and Liu after they did not attend a televised party seminar on Tuesday.

A source familiar with the case told the South China Morning Post that General Zhang was accused of corruption, including failing to control his own family members.

Christopher K Johnson, a former CIA analyst who follows elite Chinese politics, said Beijing has the capacity to produce impressive, high-tech weapons.

But he said the country’s weakness was its lack of ‘software’ that could carry out large-scale military manoeuvres.

But Mr Morris added that the dismissals actually showed that President Xi ‘has a lot of support in the party and has all the authority’.

Rumors of a power struggle between Zhang and Xi circulated in Beijing last year.

Gen Zhang was said to be less optimistic than President Xi about China’s chances of success in seizing Taiwan.