China’s Defense Ministry announced Friday the expulsion of nine senior military officers from the Communist Party and armed forces, including one of two vice chairmen of the powerful Central Military Commission, in the most dramatic purge of military leadership since the Cultural Revolution.
The nine officers, including He Weidong, the second of two CMC vice chairmen and a member of the elite 24-member Politburo, face accusations of “serious violations of discipline” involving “exceptionally large amounts of money,” Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said in a statement.
The announcement came just three days before the party’s Central Committee convenes for the fourth plenum, a crucial meeting to discuss economic policy and make key personnel decisions.
Former CMC vice chairman He vanished from public view in March, with Chinese authorities providing no prior disclosure of any investigation into his conduct. The removal is the first time China has expelled a sitting CMC member since Mao Zedong purged military leaders during the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution.
The ministry also expelled Admiral Miao Hua, the military’s former top political officer, whom authorities removed from the commission in June after placing him under investigation last November.
The ministry named seven other officials, including the former commander of the Eastern Theater Command, former heads of the Rocket Force and People’s Armed Police, and senior political commissars from the army and navy.
“This once again demonstrates the firm determination of the party Central Committee and the CMC to carry the fight against corruption through to the end,” Zhang said, calling it a “significant achievement” in the anti-graft campaign.
President Xi Jinping has made eliminating corruption a hallmark of his rule since 2012, though critics say the campaigns also serve to consolidate his personal control and remove potential rivals.
The purge targets what analysts describe as an improper patronage network centered on personnel management, with many of the expelled officers sharing ties to the Eastern Theater Command, which oversees potential operations against Taiwan.
CMC First Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia, who leads day-to-day military operations, escaped the purge and has appeared at recent official functions.
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