Xi Jinping expels several senior officials of the Chinese Army in one of the largest internal purges of the Communist Party

Among those sanctioned are the general He Weidong, vice president of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the highest governing body of the Army; Admiral Miao Hua, former head of political work in the Armed Forces, and the former Minister of Agriculture Tang Renjian, condemned for millionaire bribes.

The conclave, which began on Monday and took place behind closed doors, concluded this Thursday with the dissemination of a statement ratifying the expulsions from the party of 14 members of the Central Committee by “serious violations of discipline and the law”.

The session also decided to appoint Zhang Shengmin as vice president of the CMC, according to the official text, released by the official Xinhua agency.

Corruption

In addition to the senior military commanders, the expulsions include several civilian leaders of the Central Committee implicated in investigations for corruption.

The statement states that “to govern the country well, you must first govern the Party well, and “Only a prosperous Party can make a country strong.”in an apparent allusion to the internal discipline campaign that has intensified after the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The document states that we must “maintain the self-revolution of the Party to guide the social revolution and continue to promote it with perseverance strict governance in all areas of the Party”, a formulation that is usually used in official texts as an allusion to the fight against corruption.

In the military sphere, the statement reiterates the need to “strengthen the absolute leadership of the Party over the Armed Forces” and to “strengthen strategic capabilities to safeguard national sovereignty.”

“We must accelerate the development of advanced combat capabilities and promote the modernization of military governance,” states the text, which also emphasizes the “modernization of national defense.”

Today’s confirmations come after the announcement on October 17, when the Chinese authorities communicated the expulsion of nine senior military officers of the CCP and the People’s Liberation Army “serious disciplinary violations“and alleged corruption crimes.

They included He and Miao, whose disappearances from public life had fueled speculation for months.

According to the Ministry of Defense, these officers are suspected of crimes involving “an extremely large sum of money” and with “highly detrimental consequences.”

The investigations, authorized by the Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, have recently hit various sectors of the armed forces, including those linked to the Rocket Force, responsible for the Chinese nuclear arsenal.

In recent years, the Army has been at the center of various corruption scandals that led to the fall of the two previous Defense Ministers, as well as the dismissal of senior officials responsible for weapons and acquisitions.

In July, the CMC issued new guidelines to reinforce the “political loyalty” and integrity of its members, against a backdrop of increasing surveillance within the military ranks.