Cleaning Up The Military Body, Xi Jinping Fires 9 Generals At The Same Time

JAKARTA - The Chinese government announced that it had fired nine high-ranking military officials, one of whom was a member of the Politburo, from the membership of the Chinese Communist Party (PKC) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) for committing corruption.

"Based on the Party's regulations and laws, the Party's Central Committee decided to give the nine people the revocation of party membership," Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said on China's Ministry of Defense website which was accessed by ANTARA in Beijing, Sunday, October 19.

Previously, the Central Military Commission had decided to give them the lifting of military membership.

One of them is a general with the second highest rank in China, He Weidong who is also a member of the Central Politburo and Deputy Chairman of the Central Military Commission.

There is also Navy Admiral Miao Hua, a member of the Central Military Commission and former Head of the Political Department of the Central Military Commission.

While the other seven people are He Hongjun (former Deputy Head of the Political Department of the Central Military Commission), Wang Xiubin (former Executive Director of the Central Military Commission Joint Operations Command Center), Lin Xiangyang (former Commander of Eastern Theater PLA Command), Qin Shutong (former Army Political Commissioner), Yuan Huazhi (former Navy Political Commissioner), Wang Houbin (former Rocket Force Commander) and Wang Chunning (former Armed Police Commander).

"Based on the results of the investigation, the nine people seriously violated the Party's discipline, allegedly involved in serious crime of very large numbers of positions, very serious traits and had a very bad impact," added Zhang Xiaogang.

Zhang said the 9th removal was a form of determination by the Central Party Committee and the Central Military Commission to fight corruption to the end.

"And affirm the clear attitude that there is no place for corruptors to hide in the military. This is the result of the fight against party and military corruption, making the people's army more pure and strong, and having stronger unity and fighting power," said Zhang.

General He Weidong's dismissal was the first for a commander who has served at the Central Military Commission since the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution.

He has not been publicly involved since March 2025 and the investigation into the alleged corruption was not disclosed by Chinese authorities.

He's 68-year-old dismissal had an impact outside the military because he also served in a 25-member Politburo.

Politburo is the core institution of the Chinese Communist Party PKC which sets the direction of national policy, consisting of party elites, namely 25 people (including President Xi Jinping) who is the second highest decision-making institution in the PKC power structure under the Politburo Standing Committee with the main leader being the Secretary General of the PKC, namely President Xi Jinping.

As one of the two deputy chairmen of the Central Military Commission, He is the third most powerful commander in the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and is considered a close associate of President Xi Jinping, PLA's supreme commander.

The announcement of the dismissal was only days before the PKC Central Committee, which is a party elite body consisting of more than 200 senior officials, will hold the Fourth Plenary Session on October 20-23, 2025 in Beijing to determine China's 15th Five-Year Plan.

Further decisions regarding personnel, such as the appointment and dismissal of members of the Central Committee, are expected to be made at the meeting.