TL;DR : China has removed nine senior military officers, including its second-ranked general He Weidong, from both the military and Communist Party. They are accused of serious corruption, just before an important political meeting.
🔹 Key Points: Major Military Purge
- Nine top Chinese generals expelled from both the Communist Party and military, including He Weidong (Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission and Politburo member) and Miao Hua (former head of the CMC Political Work Department).
- The Ministry of National Defence announced on October 17, 2025, that the officials had committed "serious violations of Party discipline" and were suspected of “duty-related crimes involving an extremely large amount of money.”
- He Weidong is the highest-ranking PLA official purged since the Cultural Revolution. He was considered close to President Xi Jinping and played a key role in operations related to Taiwan.
- Miao Hua, a former navy admiral, was responsible for enforcing political loyalty within the PLA. He was under investigation since November 2024 and removed from the CMC in June 2025.
- Other expelled generals include Lin Xiangyang, He Hongjun, Wang Xiubin, Wang Chunning, and four unnamed senior PLA political officials.
- The PLA Daily accused the officials of “disloyalty” and stated their actions “seriously undermined the Party’s absolute leadership”, adding they had “lost their chastity” and experienced a “total collapse of their beliefs.”
🔹 Background & Implications
- This purge is part of President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign, ongoing since 2023, which has already removed over 15 top officers and two former defence ministers.
- The announcement comes just days before the Communist Party’s Fourth Plenum, where new appointments and five-year plans will be discussed.
- Many of the expelled officials were linked to procurement corruption, particularly in the PLA Rocket Force and military equipment deals.
- The purge affects nearly half of the recent CMC leadership, allowing Xi to fill key posts with loyalists, further consolidating control over the military.
- Analysts warn the crackdown may impact PLA morale and readiness, especially during military modernization and rising tensions with the U.S. over Taiwan.