Over a dozen generals from the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA), a Defense Minister, and several high-ranking executives in the arms industry have fallen this year in a major anti-corruption campaign unleashed by President Xi Jinping. The latest addition to this list is none other than the country's second-highest-ranking general.
He Weidong, 68, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the body that oversees military affairs and is headed by Xi, has been expelled from the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and is under investigation for corruption.
The news, for which no further details have been disclosed, was announced on Friday by the Ministry of Defense. He is the third member of the CMC to be removed since the last reorganization in 2022 of this party organ, which is made up of seven military leaders.
Additionally, this general was a member of the current Politburo, the highest decision-making body, the executive arm of the CCP Central Committee, consisting of 24 Chinese leaders.
The most impactful case this year among high-ranking officials investigated for corruption was that of the former Defense Minister, General Li Shangfu. "Taking advantage of his position, he enriched himself with huge sums of money to seek inappropriate personal benefits," announced the Chinese press earlier this year, also revealing that another former Defense Minister, Wei Fenghe (who held the position between 2018 and 2023), had been expelled from the party for another corruption case.
The Defense portfolio held by both Li and Wei, unlike their Western or other Asian counterparts, carries more diplomatic and ceremonial weight. In China, decision-making falls under the powerful CMC. The Minister of Defense is part of this body, but always ranks below two Vice Chairmen and President Xi, the country's top military authority.
The fall of Li, along with nine other generals of his trust who were tried by a military court, was related to the irregular purchase of military equipment during the former minister's tenure leading the Strategic Support Force, an organization responsible for retiring old military commanders and making the right moves for the modernization of the PLA, starting with the acquisition of military equipment such as Russian Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 air defense missile systems.
In September, four other generals were expelled from the party. A few months earlier, a respected CMC general, Miao Hua, was also removed. President Xi recently emphasized the importance of loyalty to the CCP in military leadership to "strengthen ideological control" and support China's goal of becoming a military superpower.