In one of the most dramatic purges in decades, two of China’s most senior military leaders and seven other high-ranking officers have been expelled from the Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for alleged corruption and “serious disciplinary violations,” the Defence Ministry announced Friday.
Among those ousted are General He Weidong, China’s second-highest-ranking commander and vice-chair of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and Admiral Miao Hua, the PLA’s former top political officer. Their removal underscores the deepening reach of President Xi Jinping’s anti-graft campaign inside the military’s top brass.
General He’s downfall marks a historic moment — the first expulsion of a sitting CMC vice-chairman since the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 70s. Once seen as a close ally of Xi, He had vanished from public view since March, fueling quiet speculation of internal investigations.
According to the Defence Ministry, the accused officers “seriously violated Party discipline” and are suspected of “grave duty-related crimes involving enormous sums of money.” Spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang called the offences “extremely damaging” and hailed the purge as a “major victory” in the Party’s anti-corruption drive.
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The shake-up lands just days before the Communist Party’s Central Committee convenes its Fourth Plenum in Beijing, where major personnel reshuffles are expected. Analysts say the timing signals Xi’s continued tightening of control over the armed forces and the Party’s inner circle.
Also expelled were He Hongjun of the PLA Political Work Department, Wang Xiubin of the Joint Operations Command Centre, former Eastern Theatre Command leader Lin Xiangyang, and several former political commissars of the PLA Army and Navy. Notably, former People’s Armed Police commander Wang Chunning was removed from the national legislature last month.
Political analyst Ja Ian Chong of the National University of Singapore said the frequency of such military purges suggests that “this type of shake-up has become more normalised under Xi’s rule,” adding that it reflects a further consolidation of power and an increasingly centralised Party apparatus.
With the latest expulsions, Xi’s message is unmistakable: no rank is too high for scrutiny in his campaign to root out disloyalty and corruption — and to ensure absolute allegiance to his leadership.