Zhang Youxia, the senior vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission and a longtime Xi Jinping ally, was placed under formal investigation in January 2026 for suspected serious violations of discipline and law, part of an extended PLA anti-corruption drive that has removed multiple senior officers. The probe has led to his effective sidelining and removal from official roles, yet Chinese authorities have not announced any formal charges, trial, or custodial sentence more than seven months later. In the CCP system, high-level cases typically progress through extended internal party disciplinary processes before any public judicial outcome, with sentencing timelines often spanning years and remaining opaque for Politburo-level figures. This procedural reality, combined with the absence of any confirmed prison term through mid-2026, underpins trader consensus that formal sentencing before 2027 remains unlikely.