China’s top military officer faces accusations of passing nuclear weapons secrets to the United States in what amounts to the most explosive allegation coming from Beijing’s ongoing military purge.
Gen. Zhang Youxia allegedly leaked core technical data about China’s nuclear weapons program to American intelligence, according to a Wall Street Journal report, citing people familiar with a closed-door briefing held Saturday with senior military officers. The briefing also revealed allegations that Zhang accepted massive bribes in exchange for military promotions. Investigators claim he helped elevate Li Shangfu to defense minister in return for cash payments. (RELATED: Xi Jinping’s Purge Chaos Hits Politburo Amid Sweeping Military Ousters)
Zhang, 75, served as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and ranked second only to President Xi Jinping in military authority. He and Xi share backgrounds as “princelings,” the children of revolutionary leaders who fought together during China’s civil war. Zhang earned a reputation as Xi’s closest confidant within the armed forces.
Exclusive: China’s senior-most general is accused of leaking information about the country’s nuclear-weapons program to the U.S. and accepting bribes for official acts https://t.co/axd3s19APs
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) January 25, 2026
Evidence linking Zhang to the nuclear breach came from the investigation of Gu Jun, former head of China National Nuclear Corp., the WSJ reported. Authorities launched a probe into Gu on Jan. 20 for suspected violations of party discipline.
The CMC has now been gutted, according to Reuters. Every uniformed commander appointed to the body in 2022 has been removed. Only Xi and Zhang Shengmin, the military’s anti-corruption chief, remain on the commission.
More than 50 senior officers and defense industry executives have faced investigation or removal since summer 2023, the WSJ reported. Analysts call it the biggest military purge in China since the Mao era.
Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told the WSJ that the investigation shows leadership maintains “a full-coverage, zero-tolerance approach to combating corruption.”
The crackdown comes as President Donald Trump’s administration released a new National Defense Strategy on Friday that identifies China as a military power requiring deterrence, Fox News reported.
