China’s military has been jolted by an unprecedented anti-corruption campaign that has seen 28 generals dismissed, detained, or quietly disappear over the past three years, according to recent reports. The sweeping purge reached a dramatic climax just before the Fourth Plenum of the 20th Central Committee, when the Defense Ministry announced the expulsion of nine senior generals from both the Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Among those expelled are some of the most powerful figures in China’s armed forces, including He Weidong, a Politburo member and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and Miao Hua, former director of the CMC Political Work Department. Others removed include senior commanders from multiple service branches — Lin Xiangyang of the Eastern Theater Command, Yuan Huazhi of the Navy, and Wang Houbin of the Rocket Force. Notably, eight of the nine generals purged were sitting members of the Party’s Central Committee.
The scale of the campaign became even more apparent during the recently concluded Fourth Plenum, where 27 of the military’s 42 Central Committee members were absent — a stunning 63 percent no-show rate. Among the missing were Navy Commander Hu Zhongming, Northern Theater Commander Huang Ming, and Eastern Theater Political Commissar Liu Qingsong, all of whose whereabouts remain unknown.
Observers on Chinese social media have described the campaign as the most extensive military purge in decades, both in reach and intensity. The crackdown has also ensnared hundreds of lower-ranking officers, including major generals and lieutenant generals. Among those recently named is Zhang Fengzhong, former director of the Rocket Force’s Political Work Department, whose expulsion was confirmed during the Fourth Plenum.
Amid the upheaval, the Defense Ministry announced new appointments aimed at stabilizing leadership ranks. Lieutenant General Xia Zhihe has been named Political Commissar of the National Defense University, replacing Zhong Shaojun, who was widely viewed as a close aide to Xi Jinping.
Analysts say the purge reflects both Xi’s determination to tighten political control over the military and deep-seated corruption within the PLA’s procurement and promotion systems — particularly within the elite Rocket Force, which oversees China’s strategic missile arsenal. The full implications of this internal shake-up, however, remain to be seen.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), October 27, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202510270074.aspx