In a dramatic and unprecedented move, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has dismissed nine top generals after uncovering serious financial fraud and criminal activity within the military. The officers, many of whom were considered loyal to President Xi Jinping, have been expelled for “serious violations of party discipline and law.” The move, announced just days before a key Central Committee plenum, is one of the most extensive purges in the history of the Chinese armed forces.
According to China’s Ministry of Defense, the nine officials are suspected of involvement in large-scale economic crimes, including corruption, money laundering, and abuse of power. Several of those dismissed are members of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, the party’s core policy-making body. While the official narrative presents the purge as part of a sweeping anti-corruption campaign, but it also carries strong undertones of an internal power struggle, possibly aimed at consolidating Xi’s control ahead of the upcoming plenum.The nine officers removed from their posts are, He Weidong, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), Miao Hua, Director of the Political Work Department, He Hongjun, Executive Deputy Director of the Political Work Department, Wang Xuebin, Executive Deputy Director of the Joint Operations Command Center, Lin Xiangyang, Commander of the Eastern Theater Command, Qin Shutong, Political Commissar of the Army, Yuan Huaxi, Political Commissar of the Navy, Wang Houbin, Commander of the Rocket Force, and Wang Chunning, Commander of the Armed Police Force.
He Weidong’s Fall Marks a Major Blow to Xi’s Inner Circle and Signals Political Consolidation
He Weidong, the second-highest-ranking official in China’s military after President Xi, who also serves as the CMC chairman, was a particularly significant figure. As a member of the CCP Politburo, he was among the country’s top decision-makers and one of Xi’s most trusted aides. His dismissal marks the first time in history that a sitting Politburo member has been subjected to a military investigation. Chinese media reports indicate that the expelled officers will face military trials in the coming months. The government has described the crackdown as a decisive step in its ongoing fight against corruption within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). However, many observers view it as a calculated political maneuver timed to reinforce Xi’s authority as the CCP prepares to discuss major economic and leadership decisions.
The timing of the purge is particularly significant. The Central Committee plenum, scheduled in the coming weeks, will focus on outlining China’s next economic development plan and electing new party members. The dismissals could clear the way for reshuffling key military and political positions, ensuring that Xi’s loyalists dominate the next phase of policymaking. This is the first time since the Cultural Revolution in 1976 that a sitting general of the Central Military Commission has been dismissed. The scale and seniority of those removed highlight both the depth of corruption within China’s military and the extent of Xi Jinping’s internal control efforts. He Weidong, last seen in public in March, had already sparked speculation about his fate after months of unexplained absence from official events. Though framed as a corruption crackdown, the purge is widely interpreted as part of Xi’s broader strategy to eliminate dissent within the armed forces and secure unchallenged authority at the top of the CCP hierarchy.
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