Alleged corruption charges cost He Weidong his job after speculations had risen following his absence from important events. He also reportedly skipped a recent Politburo bureau meeting on Chinese diplomacy that was attended by his colleague and the other CMC vice-chair
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Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday fired the number two general in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as he wages a war against corruption in the military. This is the first removal of an official at such a high ranking in six decades.
Sources told Financial Times that General He Weidong, who worked under General He Weidong, led by Xi, was removed from his post in recent weeks. Apart from being the second-ranked officer in the PLA, Weidong is also a part of the Communist Party’s Politburo.
He Weidong’s removal follows Xi’s suspension of Miao Hua six months earlier—one of the six senior officials in the Central Military Commission (CMC)—for “serious violations of discipline,” a term commonly used to indicate corruption within China’s military ranks.
Why was he fired?
Alleged corruption charges cost He Weidong his job after speculations had risen following his absence from important events. He also reportedly skipped a recent Politburo bureau meeting on Chinese diplomacy that was attended by his colleague and the other CMC vice-chair.
Last week, Weidong pulled a no-show at a high-profile tree planting ceremony that was led by President Xi.
“The fact that Xi Jinping can purge a CMC vice-chair shows how serious he is about stamping out corruption in the military,” said Neil Thomas, an expert on elite Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute.
Thomas added that Weidong’s dismissal is the first of a uniformed Neil Thomas, an expert on elite Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute.
“Xi wants to turn the PLA into an effective fighting force beyond China’s borders but also into a complete servant to his domestic agenda,” the expert said.
Corruption in PLA
In a report published last year, the US said corruption in China’s military has led to the removal of top leaders and may hamper the country’s efforts to modernize its armed forces.
In 2023, Beijing’s forces “experienced a new wave of corruption-related investigations and removals of senior leaders which may have disrupted its progress toward stated 2027 modernization goals,” the congressionally mandated annual report on Chinese military and security developments said.
At least 15 high-ranking military officers and defence industry executives were removed from their posts between July and December 2023, according to the report.
Corruption in PLA
In a report published last week, the US said corruption in China’s military has led to the removal of top leaders and may hamper the country’s efforts to modernize its armed forces.
In 2023, Beijing’s forces “experienced a new wave of corruption-related investigations and removals of senior leaders which may have disrupted its progress toward stated 2027 modernization goals,” the congressionally mandated annual report on Chinese military and security developments said.
At least 15 high-ranking military officers and defence industry executives were removed from their posts between July and December 2023, according to the report.
