Major Purge within China’s Military Leadership
On Friday, China’s Ministry of Defense reported that nine high-ranking members of the People’s Liberation Army were expelled from the Communist Party due to corruption allegations. This list notably includes a former member of the Politburo.
The most significant figure among those dismissed is General He Weidong, the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. He had quickly ascended to the upper ranks of power before his unexplained disappearance in March. This incident mirrors the fates of various senior Communist Party officials who, chosen by leader Xi Jinping, have been stripped of their positions and vanished from public view.
Since taking power as “head of state” in 2013, Xi Jinping has built a substantial bureaucracy to regularly purge officials accused of “corruption” and other ambiguous charges. Recalling Maoist rhetoric from earlier purges, Xi launched a “mass line” campaign aimed at rooting out communists he deemed deviant. This campaign greatly empowered the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the body in charge of prosecuting and sidelining influential figures accused of corruption.
General He’s case is particularly striking; his disappearance follows closely behind that of Admiral Miao Hua, another Central Military Commission member, suggesting a possible alliance between the two. The Ministry of Defense has named others affected by this purge, including:
- He Hongjun, former deputy director of the ministry
- Wang Xiubin, former deputy chief of CMC Joint Operations Command Center
- Lin Xiangyan, former commander of the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command
- Qin Shutong, former political commissar of the People’s Liberation Army Ground Forces
- Yuan Huazhi, former political commissar of the People’s Liberation Army Navy
- Wang Hou Bin, former commander of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force
- Wang Chunning, former commander of the People’s Armed Police
While the ministry claimed these individuals faced “alleged disciplinary violations and serious work-related offenses,” details on the specific nature of these violations were not disclosed. They emphasized that the offenses were, indeed, “extremely serious.” The administration expressed its commitment to pursue the anti-corruption campaign to its conclusion.
Since March 11, General He has not appeared in public and has missed multiple official events without explanation. Historically, the Communist Party has attributed similar disappearances to illness, but no such reasoning has been provided for He. His last public appearance was at the National People’s Congress. At that time, only a few military leaders ranked higher than him.
Observations from the China Asia Research Institute, an Indian think tank, suggested that He’s disappearance indicates a broader power struggle orchestrated by Xi Jinping. This coincides with a time marked by increased instability among China’s leadership, with several high-profile dismissals and disappearances, including former Foreign Minister Qin Gang and two defense ministers sequentially removed for “disciplinary” issues.
These ongoing purges have led to the scope of CCDI’s actions expanding significantly, reportedly affecting nearly 500,000 people in just the first nine months of 2023. As this situation unfolds, questions regarding the political stability and control mechanisms within the upper echelons of the Chinese military continue to arise.
