Beijing —
In a surprising move amid a continuing military purge, China on Thursday handed suspended death sentences to two former defense ministers on corruption charges.
According to state media, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were both found guilty of bribery and sentenced to death by a military court with a two-year suspended sentence. The court announced that the sentences of the two former generals will be commuted to life imprisonment without parole after two years.
Wei, 72, served as defense minister from 2018 to 2023. Mr. Li, 68, succeeded Mr. Wei in the role in 2023 for less than eight months. Both men were investigated by the military’s anti-corruption department in 2023.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has taken his military purges to the highest levels, targeting the highest-ranking generals, most recently firing Zhang Youxia, who in January overtook Wei and Li and once oversaw the military’s day-to-day operations.
Mr. Xi’s overhaul is far-reaching for China’s 2 million-strong People’s Liberation Army (PLA), with more than 100 officers likely to be expelled starting in 2022.
Thirty-six generals and lieutenant generals have been formally purged since 2022, and an additional 65 officers are listed as missing or at risk of purge, according to a report released in February by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Considering the positions that were purged multiple times, the report found that 52% of the positions in the PLA’s top leadership were affected.
The sweep is part of a long-standing effort to wipe out the People’s Liberation Army as Mr. Xi continues to tighten his grip on power and push for a major modernization of the military.
But the scope of this “unprecedented purge” raises questions about whether the military is prepared to carry out complex operations, the report’s authors wrote.
After Mr. Zhang and his deputy were ousted in January, the state-run People’s Liberation Army Daily accused the two former military leaders in an editorial of undermining Mr. Xi’s ultimate authority while reinforcing his message of zero tolerance for corruption.
Their investigation will “eliminate harmful influences” within the People’s Liberation Army, “help the People’s Army be thoroughly revamped, and inject a strong impetus into the drive to build a powerful military,” the ministry said.
