The purge targeted Li Shang-fu and Wei Feng-he, and the expulsions coincided with rising tensions with the United States over Taiwan.
China’s ruling Communist Party has exiled former Defense Minister Li Shang-fu, who was fired last year, and his predecessor as part of a crackdown on corruption, according to state media.
Li and his predecessor Wei Fenghe, who were not seen in public for about two months before being removed from their posts in October 2023, were expelled for “serious violations of party discipline and the law”, state news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday.
Their expulsion from the party comes at a time of rising tensions between China and the United States over a range of issues, including democratic Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea.
Xinhua reported that Li’s case would be sent to military prosecutors for a trial that could lead to life imprisonment.
The announcement came after a meeting of top officials from the party’s powerful Politburo to review Li’s position. They decided he had “betrayed his original mission and lost the party’s spirit and principles,” according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Li is said to have “seriously polluted the political environment and industrial spirit in the field of military equipment, causing great harm to the Party’s undertakings, national defense and armed forces construction.”
The former defence minister has also been charged with bribery, and is accused of “using his position to obtain large sums of money for the benefit of others, and giving money to others to obtain illicit benefits”, CCTV reported.
Wei, who will step down as defence minister in 2023 after five years in the position, was accused of accepting money and gifts in violation of regulations, as well as using his position to benefit others and receive money or valuables in return, Xinhua said.
Wei’s case was also referred to the military prosecutor’s office.
President Xi Jinping, the party’s top leader and military chief as chairman of the Central Military Commission, has made fighting corruption a hallmark of his rule since coming to power more than a decade ago.
Insiders allege a widespread purge of officers suspected of colluding with outside forces or not being loyal enough to President Xi Jinping. Senior officers hold high positions in Chinese politics and wield broad privileges. Li was seen as a staunch supporter of Xi.
Chinese media also reported on Thursday that the Communist Party of China will hold its third plenary session of high-level officials from July 15 to 18, much later than expected. The plenary session is expected to focus on future strategies to boost the world’s second-largest economy amid rising geopolitical tensions over tariff hikes by the United States and the European Union.
