Two former Chinese defense ministers, Wei Fenghe and his successor Li Shangfu, who served under President Xi Jinping, were expelled from the Communist Party and are set to be prosecuted for corruption, marking a significant scandal within the People’s Liberation Army.
President Xi Jinping’s Communist Party expelled Gen. Wei, 70, and Gen. Li, 66, following investigations that reportedly uncovered corruption by both individuals. Official announcements confirmed the expulsion and the initiation of prosecution proceedings against them.
The year 2023 has been notably challenging for Chinese ministers, with three high-profile figures, including former Foreign Minister Qin Gang and the two defense ministers, disappearing from public view.
Li, who vanished last year amid an investigation into alleged corrupt practices, was expelled for serious violations of Party discipline and the law, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
A similar announcement confirmed Wei’s expulsion and forthcoming prosecution. Wei served as Defense Minister from 2018-2023, while Li held the position for only a few months before his disappearance.
Li, an aerospace engineer who led the PLA’s Rocket (Missile) Force, was personally selected by Xi for the defense minister role. His disappearance last year fueled speculation about an ongoing corruption investigation.
Both Wei and Li held prominent roles as State Councillors and members of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the top military authority headed by Xi. They were stripped of their delegate status to the 20th CPC National Congress during a Political Bureau meeting of the CPC Central Committee.
Li’s expulsion is part of a broader crackdown on corruption within the PLA, which has seen dozens of top generals dismissed or punished since Xi took power in 2012. His sacking followed a significant shakeup in the Rocket Force, where key figures like commander Li Yuchao and political commissar Xu Zhongbo were replaced without official explanation.
The CMC’s disciplinary and supervisory agency announced an investigation against Li and Wei, revealing serious violations of political and organizational discipline. The investigation found that both had sought improper benefits in personnel arrangements, exploited their positions for personal gain, and accepted large sums of money and valuables.
Media reports last month suggested that Wei might be politically safe after his name appeared in tributes to a senior Chinese legislator. However, the Party’s heavy-handed response indicated otherwise, citing severe disciplinary violations and corruption.
The official announcement stated that both Wei and Li had lost faith and loyalty as high-ranking officials, betraying the trust of the Party Central Committee and the CMC. Their actions severely damaged the political environment of the military and tarnished the image of senior officials, as reported by Xinhua.
The investigation highlighted the serious and detrimental impact of Wei’s actions. The Political Bureau has referred their suspected criminal cases to military procuratorial organs for further examination and prosecution.
Wei and Li are the latest senior PLA officers to be targeted in the ongoing anti-corruption campaign. In December, nine generals, including commanders of the PLA Rocket Force and the Air Force, as well as several CMC officials from the Equipment Development Department, were dismissed from the National People’s Congress.
Li had spent decades in the equipment department, overseeing military procurement, while Wei led the PLA’s Second Artillery Corps from 2012, continuing to manage the nuclear arsenal after it was restructured into the Rocket Force in 2015, according to the South China Morning Post.
Before Li’s disappearance, Qin Gang also vanished from public view in 2023 after serving briefly as China’s foreign minister, ultimately losing his remaining government titles.
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