In a significant development, Beijing has announced the commencement of corruption investigations against two former defence ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu. This announcement follows a meeting of the party’s 24-man Politburo, during which state news agency Xinhua reported that both individuals have been expelled from the Communist Party.
This announcement comes in the wake of the unexpected dismissal of Li, who held the position of China’s shortest-tenured defence minister, being removed from his role just seven months after assuming it. Wei served as defence minister from 2018 to 2023. Additionally, previous sessions of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the country’s top military decision-making body, revoked Li and Wei’s positions as generals and their membership in the People’s Liberation Army.
Over the course of many years, Li had worked in the equipment department, which is responsible for overseeing military procurement. In 2012, Wei assumed leadership of the PLA’s Second Artillery Corps and maintained this role within the country’s nuclear arsenal even after it was transformed into the rocket force in 2015. The investigation into Li revealed that he accepted “substantial sums of money” to seek benefits for others, as well as engaging in bribery.
Wei, on the other hand, was placed under investigation and faces allegations of accepting unauthorised gifts and significant sums of money in exchange for using his power to secure advantages for others. Notably, Wei is not implicated in accepting bribes. The investigations have further disclosed evidence of potential “serious disciplinary and criminal offences” by both individuals, as outlined in the statement, albeit without specific details. According to the Xinhua report, both men will be subject to criminal prosecution.
The report from Thursday used very strong language when discussing the two generals. Wei, a senior leader in the party and the PLA, was accused of experiencing “a collapse of faith and a loss of loyalty,” which had “seriously polluted the political ecosystem of the PLA”. On the other hand, Li was said to have “abandoned the original mission and lost the principles of the party,” causing serious contamination in the PLA’s military equipment industry.
President Xi Jinping has prioritised the fight against corruption within the military, aiming to address a significant issue within the Chinese armed forces. The Chinese government’s claim that more Chinese generals have been implicated in corruption cases than the number lost in 20th-century wars, underscores the scale of the challenge. In contrast to military leaders in other countries, Chinese defence ministers primarily function as military diplomats with limited command authority and hold lower ranks within the party’s Central Military Commission, which is under the leadership of President Xi.
This isn’t the first instance of President Xi taking action against high-ranking military officials; previously, two former vice-chairmen of the commission, Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong, were removed from their positions due to corruption. In December, nine generals, including current and former commanders from the PLA Rocket Force and the air force, as well as several Central Military Commission officials from the Equipment Development Department, were ousted from the National People’s Congress due to corruption allegations.
The Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the founding and ruling political party of modern China, officially known as the People’s Republic of China. The CCP has held a political monopoly since Mao Zedong founded the People’s Republic in 1949. It has overseen the country’s rapid economic growth and rise as a global power.
Since coming to power in 2012, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has consolidated control over the party. Some experts regard him as the most influential Chinese leader since Mao.
President Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping, a Chinese politician, has held the position of general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, chairman of the Central Military Commission, and president of the People’s Republic of China since 2012 and 2013, respectively.
Xi has implemented measures to ensure party discipline and strengthen unity in China. His anti-corruption efforts have removed high-ranking CCP officials. He has also pursued policies to promote equality, reduce poverty, and regulate the tech and tutoring sectors. Additionally, he has supported state-owned enterprises and attempted to reform China’s property sector.
Xi Jinping has pursued a more assertive foreign policy, especially in China’s dealings with the U.S., the South China Sea, and the Sino-Indian border dispute. Additionally, Xi has worked to expand Chinese economic interests overseas, focusing on increasing China’s influence in Africa and Eurasia through the Belt and Road Initiative. Despite meeting with Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou in 2015, relations between Beijing and Taipei deteriorated under Ma’s successor, Tsai Ing-wen.
In 2020, Xi oversaw the implementation of a national security law in Hong Kong, which targeted political opposition in the city, particularly pro-democracy activists. Xi Jinping has introduced his political ideas and principles, known as “Xi Jinping Thought”, into the party and national constitutions. As a central figure of the fifth generation of leadership in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Xi has consolidated institutional power by taking on multiple positions.
These include leading new CCP committees on national security, economic and social reforms, military restructuring and modernisation, and the Internet. In October 2022, Xi secured a third term as CCP General Secretary, and he was re-elected state president for a third term in March 2023.
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