In a significant and rare public move, the Chinese Communist Party has removed nine senior generals from their positions, marking one of the most extensive military crackdowns in recent decades.
According to a statement issued by China’s Ministry of Defense, these nine high-ranking officers were implicated in major financial misconduct, as reported by the BBC.
Most of the individuals held three-star general ranks and were members of the party’s influential Central Committee. Alongside their expulsion from the party, they have also been dismissed from their military roles.
Although the official explanation framed this action as part of an ongoing anti-corruption campaign, experts suggest it may also serve as a strategic political maneuver. The timing is notable, occurring just before the party’s plenary session, where the Central Committee is set to deliberate on the nation’s economic strategy and elect new leadership.
The officials removed include: He Weidong, Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC); Miao Hua, head of the CMC’s Political Work Department; He Hongjun, Executive Deputy Director of the same department; Wang Xiubin, Executive Deputy Director of the CMC’s Joint Operations Command Center;
Lin Xiangyang, Commander of the Eastern Theater Command; Qin Shutong, Political Commissar of the Army; Yuan Huazhi, Political Commissar of the Navy; Wang Houbin, Commander of the Rocket Forces; and Wang Chunning, Commander of the Armed Police Force.
Among them, He Weidong stood out as the most influential figure, ranking as the second highest military official after President Xi Jinping, who chairs the CMC.
He Weidong’s disappearance from public appearances since March had sparked rumors about his involvement in a sweeping investigation targeting the upper echelons of the military leadership.
