China fires nine senior military officers amid anti-corruption drive

China has removed nine senior military officers, including General He Weidong, the second-ranking general in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), in one of the most significant military purges in decades.

The move is part of President Xi Jinping’s intensified anti-corruption campaign within the armed forces, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

General He Weidong, vice-chair of the six-member Central Military Commission (CMC) and member of the Communist Party’s Politburo, was formally dismissed—the first time in 60 years that an officer of such rank has been purged while in office. He was third in command of the PLA and considered a leading candidate for the top vice-chair position of the CMC.

The defence ministry announced that the nine officers, including leaders from the army, navy, rocket force, and armed police, were suspected of “major job-related crimes involving especially large sums of money.” All have been expelled from the Communist Party, and their cases have been referred to military prosecutors. Among the removed were Miao Hua, a former CMC member suspended in 2024, and Wang Houbin, head of the PLA Rocket Force overseeing China’s nuclear arsenal.

Experts suggest that while corruption was cited as the reason, Xi may also have broader concerns about loyalty and control within the military. The purge follows Xi’s accelerated anti-corruption drive since 2023, which intensified after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exposed how military graft can undermine battlefield effectiveness.

Eight of the nine officers were members of the party’s Central Committee, making their removal a major signal ahead of next week’s Central Committee meeting, where China’s five-year development plan will be discussed.

According to the defence ministry, the dismissals demonstrate that “there is absolutely no place for corrupt elements within the armed forces,” reinforcing Xi’s efforts to create a more disciplined, unified, and combat-ready military.

By Vugar Khalilov