China expels nine top generals in major military purge

New Delhi, Oct 18: In one of its largest-ever public crackdowns on the armed forces, China has expelled nine senior military officials, including He Weidong, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and Miao Hua, a CMC member, for “serious violations of discipline and the law,” state-run Global Times reported.

Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defence, said the cases of the nine officials, who are suspected of “grave duty-related crimes involving particularly huge amounts of money,” have been transferred to military procuratorial organs for prosecution. “Their actions were extremely severe in nature and egregious in impact,” Zhang said, adding that their expulsion reflected the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) “zero tolerance” stance on corruption.

The list of those investigated reads like a roll call of China’s military elite: He Weidong, Miao Hua, He Hongjun, Wang Xiubin, Lin Xiangyang, Qin Shutong, Yuan Huazhi, Wang Houbin, and Wang Chunning, spanning the army, navy, rocket force, and armed police. All have been dismissed from both the Party and the military.

According to Global Times, the CMC Discipline Inspection Commission launched the probe with the approval of the CPC Central Committee and the CMC. The spokesperson said the move demonstrates the leadership’s “firm determination to carry the fight against corruption through to the end,” declaring that the military has become “purer, consolidated, and more combat-effective.”

However, BBC described the mass expulsions as a “major political earthquake” within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), noting that He Weidong was the second-highest ranking military official in China after President Xi Jinping, and the first sitting Politburo member to be investigated in Xi’s tenure. He was last seen publicly in March, sparking months of speculation about his fate.

The BBC cited the Chinese Defence Ministry as saying the nine men were involved in “serious duty-related crimes involving an extremely large amount of money, of extremely serious nature, and with extremely detrimental consequences.” Analysts told BBC Chinese that while the official line frames the crackdown as an anti-corruption campaign, it also bears the hallmarks of a political purge.

The expulsions come just days before the CPC’s Fourth Plenum, scheduled to begin on October 20, where the Party’s Central Committee is expected to discuss economic priorities and approve new members. Observers say the meeting will serve as a barometer of how deep Xi’s latest purge has cut into China’s military and political establishment.