Top Generals Among Nine Expelled in Major Military Corruption Crackdown
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China has expelled nine senior military officials, including a Politburo member and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), in a major escalation of the campaign to root out graft within its armed forces.
The Ministry of National Defense said on Friday that General He Weidong and eight other top officers were under investigation for “serious violations of party discipline and suspected serious duty-related crimes.” The cases involve “particularly huge” sums of money and have had an “extremely malicious” impact, according to ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang.
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- China expelled nine top military officials, including CMC vice chairman He Weidong, for “serious violations” and suspected crimes.
- The accused face investigations involving “particularly huge” sums and have been expelled from the Communist Party and stripped of rank.
- This marks the largest Chinese military purge in nearly a decade, tied to President Xi Jinping’s ongoing anti-graft campaign.
- Since 2012：
- Chinese military anti-corruption campaign has been advancing in depth.
- 2013-2018：
- He Weidong was promoted or reassigned almost annually in the military.
- 2022：
- He Weidong was appointed to the Politburo and as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.
- By 2025：
- Expulsions of the nine officers to be formally confirmed at an upcoming plenary session.
- 2025-10-16：
- First official confirmation that He Weidong and six other senior military officials were under investigation for serious violations.
- 2025-10-17：
- Chinese Ministry of National Defense announced that General He Weidong and eight other top officers were under investigation.
- As of 2025-10-17：
- All nine officers had been expelled from the Communist Party and stripped of their military rank; their cases were referred to military prosecutors.
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