BEIJING (Realist English). Chinese President Xi Jinping has dismissed General He Weidong, the second-highest-ranking officer in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), along with eight other senior commanders, in one of the most dramatic military purges in decades.
General He, who served as the vice-chair of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and was third in command of China’s armed forces, was formally removed this week — marking the first time in sixty years that such a senior officer has been ousted while still in office.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, the nine officials were expelled from the Communist Party and are under investigation for “major job-related crimes involving especially large sums of money.” Their cases have been handed over to military prosecutors.
He’s dismissal is seen as a major blow to the PLA’s upper ranks. “It’s one of the biggest shake-ups within the PLA in decades,” said Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute. “He was on track to become the next senior vice-chair of the CMC, possibly replacing Zhang Youxia, and his promotion during the 20th Party Congress was unusually rapid.”
Also removed was Admiral Miao Hua, a former top political officer in the Chinese military and long-serving member of the CMC. Miao had already been suspended in late 2024 amid corruption allegations.
Among those purged was Wang Houbin, the former commander of the PLA Rocket Force, which oversees China’s nuclear arsenal. Wang had only taken command in 2023 after his predecessor and deputy were themselves removed in an earlier phase of Xi’s anti-corruption drive.
The Ministry of Defense said the crackdown demonstrates the party’s “zero tolerance for corruption within the armed forces,” adding that it would make China’s military “purer, more unified, and more capable of combat.”
Xi’s campaign to cleanse the PLA accelerated sharply in 2023, beginning with probes into defense procurement contracts and expanding to include nearly every branch of the military — from the navy and rocket forces to the armed police.
Analysts note that Xi’s purge reflects not only his determination to root out corruption but also deeper concerns about loyalty and operational readiness. Observers have drawn parallels to Russia’s battlefield failures in Ukraine, where corruption among senior officers contributed to major military setbacks.
The removals come just days before a key Central Committee meeting of the Communist Party, which will set China’s next five-year development plan. Eight of the nine dismissed officers were members of that powerful 200-member body, underscoring the scale of the internal shake-up.
Xi’s latest move consolidates his personal control over the military — but also reveals the growing instability within one of China’s most critical power institutions.
