Chart of the Day: The Military Brass Ensnared in China’s Anti-Corruption Campaign
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More than 80 generals have been ensnared in China’s anti-corruption campaign since it kicked off in the wake of the 18th National Party Congress held in October 2012, Caixin calculations show.
A total of 13 full generals, 18 lieutenant generals, and more than 50 major generals have fallen from grace in graft probes in the past dozen years, a Caixin compilation found. Notable officials include Li Shangfu, who was sacked from his position as defense minister in 2023, and Wei Fenghe, Li’s predecessor who was stripped of his rank as general in June.
Besides Li, 13 other generals of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have been removed from the current-term National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s top legislature, which was last elected in March 2023.
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- Over 80 generals, including 13 full generals, 18 lieutenant generals, and more than 50 major generals, have been implicated in China's anti-corruption campaign since 2012.
- Recently, prominent figures like Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe were dismissed and stripped of roles/ranks due to corruption links.
- President Xi Jinping urges stronger military oversight and stresses loyalty, emphasizing maintaining strict anti-corruption measures within the Communist Party of China (CPC).
- October 2012：
- China's anti-corruption campaign kicks off following the 18th National Party Congress
- March 2023：
- The current-term National People's Congress (NPC) is elected
- 2023：
- Li Shangfu is sacked from his position as defense minister
- June 2024：
- Wei Fenghe, Li Shangfu's predecessor, is stripped of his rank as general
- October 2024：
- Xi Jinping visits a Rocket Force brigade and stresses the need to root out corruption
- December 2024：
- The CPC's Central Committee's Politburo meets and discusses maintaining a high-pressure posture against corruption
- December 4, 2024：
- Xi Jinping calls for the PLA to be "absolutely loyal, absolutely pure, and absolutely reliable" during a visit to the Information Support Force
- December 4, 2024：
- You Haitao and Li Pengcheng are expelled from their roles for suspected "serious violations of discipline and law"
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