China Removes Top Army Generals Over Corruption Allegations

BEIJING: China has expelled two senior generals from both the military and the Communist Party, as part of an ongoing investigation into corruption involving nine high-ranking officers.

The move marks the latest phase in President Xi Jinping’s decade-long anti-corruption campaign, which has targeted officials across the party, government, and armed forces.

The announcement came just days before a major four-day leadership meeting in Beijing, where top officials are expected to discuss long-term economic and strategic goals.

According to Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang, He Weidong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), was dismissed for “serious violations of discipline.” He has not appeared in public since March, fueling speculation about his status. The ministry did not disclose his current whereabouts.

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Also expelled was Miao Hua, the former head of the CMC’s Political Work Department, who had already been formally removed from his position earlier this year.

Eight of the nine officials involved have also been stripped of their Communist Party memberships, Zhang confirmed.

President Xi has frequently described corruption as “the greatest threat” to the party’s survival, saying that the campaign to root out graft remains “grave and complex.”

While the initiative is praised by some as a necessary step toward cleaner governance, critics argue that it also strengthens Xi’s political control by sidelining rivals within the party and military.

“The strict punishment of He Weidong, Miao Hua, and others shows the Party Central Committee’s firm determination to continue the fight against corruption,” Zhang said, adding that the crackdown has helped build a “more unified and combat-ready People’s Liberation Army.”

This is not the first time senior military leaders have been purged under Xi’s watch. Former Defence Minister Li Shangfu was removed from office in 2023 after just seven months in the role and later expelled for alleged bribery.

The latest expulsions coincide with preparations for the upcoming Fourth Plenum, a key Communist Party session that will outline China’s economic strategy through 2030, focusing on technological independence, defense modernization, and national economic resilience.