China’s communist military leadership faces humiliation after massive corruption purge exposes deep internal decay under Beijing’s authoritarian system..
China’s former Defence Ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on Thursday after being convicted in one of the biggest military corruption scandals under President Xi Jinping’s rule.
According to Chinese state media, the military court handed down separate rulings against the two former top officials. Wei Fenghe was convicted of accepting massive bribes, while Li Shangfu was found guilty of both accepting and offering bribes within China’s powerful military establishment.
Both men were expelled from the ruling Communist Party in 2024 after investigations uncovered widespread corruption tied to the Chinese military leadership. They also previously served as members of the influential Central Military Commission, which is directly controlled by President Xi Jinping.
Wei served as China’s Defence Minister from 2018 until 2023, while Li Shangfu, personally promoted by Xi as his successor, remained in the position for only a few months before being dramatically removed from office amid growing scandal.
The two disgraced officials also led the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, China’s highly sensitive missile and strategic weapons division established during Xi’s military restructuring campaign in 2015.
Wei commanded the Rocket Force from its formation until 2017 before later rising to become Defence Minister. Li later inherited senior military responsibilities before his sudden downfall triggered a broader purge across the Chinese military hierarchy.
Following Li’s removal, numerous top Rocket Force commanders and senior officers were dismissed, investigated, or charged over corruption allegations, exposing serious dysfunction inside one of Beijing’s most critical military branches.
Since taking power in 2012, Xi Jinping has launched an aggressive anti-corruption campaign that has punished more than one million officials across China, including senior military generals and Communist Party elites. Critics, however, have repeatedly argued that the campaign is also used to eliminate political rivals and tighten Xi’s personal control over the state and military apparatus.
The latest convictions represent another major embarrassment for Beijing’s leadership, particularly because both officials were personally elevated under Xi’s leadership during his efforts to modernize and centralize China’s military power.
