Chinese Communist Party purges nine senior military leaders for corruption

ANALYSIS:

The Chinese Communist Party has announced the ouster of nine senior military leaders in a large-scale purge within the uppermost ranks of the People’s Liberation Army, including key officers regarded as loyalists of President Xi Jinping.

The purge included one of the PLA’s most senior generals, He Weidong, who was removed several months ago as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, the party organ that controls the military.

Several of the nine ousted officers had been identified by authorities as under investigation for alleged crimes and corruption, Senior Col. Zhang Xiaogang said in a Defense Ministry statement announcing the firings.

Firings for corruption are not unusual in China, but many of those named in the latest dismissals from the PLA are proteges of Mr. Xi, raising speculation about a power struggle within the party.

Officially attributed to financial crimes, the purge suggests mounting insecurity by the most powerful CCP leader since Mao Zedong or a lack of trust in the party’s military arm, analysts said.

The purge also could be part of Mr. Xi’s announced goal of transforming the PLA into a world-class military and his orders to be ready for military action against Taiwan by 2027, the analysts said.

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“The investigation revealed that these nine individuals seriously violated party discipline and were suspected of serious duty-related crimes involving an extremely large amount of money, of an extremely serious nature, and with extremely detrimental consequences,” said Col. Zhang, the ministry spokesman.

The firings coincide with a meeting of senior CCP officials in Beijing this week. The Fourth Plenum of the CCP’s 20th Central Committee will address a five-year plan for social, political and economic goals.

Key personnel changes in the leadership also could take place at the conclave.

The firings are the latest step in Mr. Xi’s anti-corruption campaign, which he launched after becoming the country’s paramount leader in 2012.

Hundreds of PLA officers, including many in the senior ranks, have been fired, prosecuted and imprisoned under the anti-corruption campaign.

Miles Yu, a former State Department policymaker, said Mr. Xi has purged more senior PLA officers at the highest rank than even Mao, the founder of the communist state. The purged include six members of the Central Military Commission, including two vice chairmen and two defense ministers.

“This round of purges stands out because almost all of the nine purged are handpicked by Xi and considered to be the most loyal to him,” said Mr. Yu, now director of the China Center at the Hudson Institute and a Washington Times columnist.

“This indicates Xi’s high degree of insecurity and paranoia, the hallmark of an absolute dictator.”

U.S. intelligence officials have said Mr. Xi’s anti-corruption campaign has a dual purpose of purging political rivals or those with questionable loyalty.

Determining political firings in China is difficult because of the extensive CCP secrecy.

It is unknown whether the latest purge is a legitimate effort to root out endemic corruption or a bid by Mr. Xi to bolster the level of military leadership before the 2027 deadline for preparing for military action against Taiwan.

“The real question that needs to be asked is what does this mean in terms of the PLA’s combat lethality,” said retired Navy Capt. Jim Fanell, a close observer of Chinese military affairs who once led the Pacific Fleet intelligence unit. Capt. Fanell said he expects many U.S. analysts to incorrectly interpret the firings as diminishing PLA warfighting capabilities.

However, “getting rid of corrupt generals and admirals does not mean that the PLA is weak, unready or out of control,” he said.

The firings, announced Friday, also included the military’s most senior ideologist, Adm. Miao Hua, who was first placed under investigation in late 2024.

Adm. Miao held the post of director of the political work department of the Central Military Commission and was ousted in June.

The statement also disclosed that the admiral’s deputy, Gen. He Hongjun, deputy director of the political work department, was also purged.

Under Mr. Xi, also Central Military Commission chairman, communist ideology has been revived throughout China. Party and PLA members have been required to study Beijing’s brand of communism, known as Marxism-Leninism with Chinese characteristics, and “Xi Jinping thought,” the Chinese leader’s variation on it.

A report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence made public in March said corruption is endemic in China. It is linked to a communist system of highly centralized power, CCP-centric concepts of the rule of law, a lack of independent checks on public officials, and limited transparency.

Since 2012, the anti-corruption campaign has found 5 million officials guilty of corruption, mainly financial crimes. The report said the campaign is also being used to purge political rivals.

“Corruption in China is framed as a political crime and a sign of disloyalty and ideological impurity, highlighting its importance to the Party and serving as a warning against any internal disobedience,” the report said.

Military corruption in the PLA has included “a culture of pay-for-promotion” that is continuing, the report said.

Mr. Xi’s focus on PLA corruption “may also reflect concerns that corrupt practices will prevent the military from acquiring the capabilities and readiness he has directed it to achieve by 2027, in preparation for a potential conflict over Taiwan,” the report said.

The ousters of Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu in 2023 and now Adm. Miao were unusual. Both “were considered proteges of Xi, demonstrating the seriousness of the CCP’s concerns regarding loyalty and effectiveness — particularly within the PLA — and the scope of the regime’s approach to corruption,” the report said.

Capt. Fanell said the process of firing the senior officers has been underway for many months, so PLA operational capability probably has not been diminished nor dramatically increased.

“Rather, the PLA’s actions over the past six months to a year are more of the same: a steady, relentless expansion of capabilities and aggressive operations across the Indo-Pacific,” Capt. Fanell said.

“America should not buy into the ‘threat deflation’ rhetoric that has dominated the ‘China Hands’ within our national security establishment,” he said.

For decades, U.S. intelligence agencies incorrectly evaluated Chinese military threats, assessing the PLA as weak and unable to succeed in major combat operations.

“In almost every case, the PLA has exceeded those assessments and now is the dominant military force in the Far East,” he said. “Americans must be prepared for a worst-case PLA, one that can defeat our War Department. Only by maintaining this attitude can we reverse the past three decades of threat deflation and be ready to fight and win when attacked.”

Gordon Chang, a China expert, said the firings of the nine senior officers indicate severe internal fighting within the Chinese communist leadership.

“It is unlikely, at a time Xi Jinping is fighting for survival, that he removed his most senior supporter in the Chinese military,” Mr. Chang said on X, referring to Gen. He. “It is far more probable that Xi has lost control of the People’s Liberation Army.”

Another significant firing was Gen. Lin Xiangyang’s removal as commander of the Eastern Theater Command, the military command that would lead in producing forces for a military strike against Taiwan.

The ministry statement provided no details on when Gen. Lin was removed from command.

Other notable firings included:

• Gen. Wang Xiubin, former executive deputy director of the Central Military Commission Joint Operations Command Center. Gen. Wang would also play a major role in any PLA operations against Taiwan.

• Gen. Wang Chunning, former commander of the People’s Armed Police, the military force in charge of domestic security.

• Former Vice Adm. Wang Houbin, a former commander of the PLA Rocket Force.

• Senior Rocket Force officers were ousted for involvement in a reported scandal that involved rocket fuel for missiles.

• Political commissars, who are regarded as less professional among the PLA officer corps, for the PLA army and navy.

Col. Zhang, the ministry spokesman, said the latest actions were part of a policy implemented since a CCP meeting in 2012 that called for following the principle of “no forbidden zones, full coverage and zero tolerance, cracking down on corruption with a strong crackdown.”

In addition to expulsion from the CCP, the nine officers will face military prosecution, he said.