China has expelled two of its highest-ranking generals from both the military and the ruling Communist Party, in a major escalation of President Xi Jinping’s decade-long anti-corruption campaign that continues to reverberate through the nation’s armed forces.
The announcement, made Friday by Defence Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang, revealed that He Weidong, Vice Chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), and Miao Hua, former head of the CMC’s Political Work Department, were among nine senior military officials dismissed for “serious violations of discipline and law.”
He Weidong, who had not been seen in public since March, was one of China’s most senior military figures and a key deputy to President Xi in his capacity as CMC chairman. His unexplained absence had fuelled intense speculation about his status. The ministry’s statement did not disclose his current whereabouts.
Miao Hua, long considered a political heavyweight within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), was formally removed from his post earlier this year, according to state media.
Zhang confirmed that eight of the nine expelled officers were also stripped of their Communist Party membership. Several had previously served on the Party’s elite Central Committee, underscoring the high-level nature of the probe.
“The severe punishment of He Weidong, Miao Hua, and others once again demonstrates the Party Central Committee and the CMC’s unwavering resolve to persevere in the fight against corruption,” Zhang said, describing the move as a “significant achievement” in the Party and military’s campaign to purify its ranks.
He added that the crackdown has helped forge a “more disciplined, cohesive, and combat-ready People’s Army.”
Xi’s Anti-Graft Drive Tightens Grip
Since coming to power more than a decade ago, President Xi Jinping has made the anti-corruption campaign a hallmark of his rule, describing graft as “the greatest threat to the Communist Party’s survival.”
Supporters hail the campaign as essential to ensuring transparency and loyalty within the Party and the military. Critics, however, argue that it also serves to eliminate political rivals and consolidate Xi’s authority.
The latest purge follows a string of high-profile dismissals, including that of former Defence Minister Li Shangfu, who was removed from office in 2023—just seven months after his appointment—amid allegations of bribery and abuse of power.
Timing Ahead of Key Political Gathering
The expulsions come just days before a high-level four-day meeting of Communist Party officials in Beijing, known as the Fourth Plenum, where leaders will deliberate on China’s long-term economic and strategic blueprint through 2030.
That plan is expected to serve as a cornerstone of Xi’s broader vision—anchored on technological self-reliance, military modernization, and national strength—as China navigates growing economic headwinds and intensifying geopolitical competition.
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