Xi Purge Latest: China's Top Legislature Abruptly Sacks 9 Top Military Officials
China has removed nine military lawmakers from its national parliament, escalating President Xi Jinping's purge of senior defense officials, which has been a months-long trend, tracked closely by global headlines.
In this latest move, first reported internationally by Bloomberg Thursday, the country's top legislative body stripped Ground Force Commander Li Qiaoming and Information Support Force Political Commissar Li Wei of their seats, along with seven other officers.
The dismissals were handed down this week, with state-run Xinhua reporting from the 14th National People's Congress that those targeted include Ground Force's chief Ding Laifu; Central Military Commission officials Bian Ruifeng and Wang Donghai; Navy officers Shen Jinlong and Qin Shengxiang; Air Force's Yu Zhongfu; and Rocket Force's Yang Guang.
State media has not immediately issued details for the dismissals, or specifics on investigations. Back in late January, when Xi's own right-hand military man, Gen. Zhang Youxia - at the time vice chairman of the Central Military Commission - was abruptly removed, the charge was simply "grave violations of discipline and the law."
Such language is often presented in such crackdowns as a euphemism for corruption, which President Xi has in the recent past described as "the biggest threat". But critics as well as Western observers say this has served as a convenient and public PR mechanism for sidelining political rivals, and strengthening Xi's power and hold on the levers of power.
Such is likely also the case with the new firings of these nine military officials. In this fresh case, Beijing has only offered that the officials are suspected of "serious discipline and law violations" - again, just like with the ambiguous Zhang Youxia case.
Xi sent a campaign to eliminate corruption in the armed forces into overdrive around mid-2023, months after securing a precedent-defying third term. Since then, authorities have ousted two vice chairmen of the military commission, three CMC members, a former defense minister, and at least a dozen senior generals who commanded major military units, and possibly many dozens - or perhaps even hundreds - of other officers.
A former CIA analyst who follows Chinese elite politics, Christopher K. Johnson, recently told the NY Times of the ongoing purge trend, "This move is unprecedented in the history of the Chinese military and represents the total annihilation of the high command."
The PLA has seen significant internal turmoil, especially since the Communist Party’s 20th Congress in late 2022. Several top military figures - including Defense Ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, and CMC Political Work Department head Miao Hua - have disappeared or been removed, and many more followed.
How Xi's military purges could hamper China's ability to fight
— Taiwan News 247 (@TaiwanNews247) February 26, 2026
Two new studies document the crackdown and raise questions about the People's Liberation Army's ability to carry out large-scale operations, such as a potential assault on Taiwan.https://t.co/NlKJO7iebT
In China, the military is controlled by the Communist Party, not the state, and survival at the top depends on absolute loyalty. Even the most senior and trusted officers are not safe in today's political climate.