The Chinese Communist Party authorities claim to govern “according to law,” but their “anti-corruption” efforts are often seen as internal power struggles, frequently bypassing legal procedures. The handling of senior military officers Zhang Yuxia and Liu Zhenli, who are also members of the National People’s Congress, by the regime of Xi Jinping raises questions about the legality of the process.
An investigation by Dajiyuan reviewed the public handling procedures of several high-ranking members of the Central Military Commission who fell from grace, including Fang Fenghui, He Weidong, Li Shangfu, Zhang Yuxia, and Liu Zhenli.
Fang Fenghui disappeared from the public eye in August 2017. On January 9, 2018, Xinhua News Agency reported that Fang Fenghui, a member of the National Central Military Commission, was being investigated for alleged bribery and corruption and was referred to military procuratorial authorities.
The Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and the National Central Military Commission are known as “two plates and one team,” with the former being the party’s institution appointed by the CCP Central Committee and the latter being a state institution appointed by the National People’s Congress, with nearly identical members.
On February 24, 2018, the National People’s Congress website announced the decision to remove Fang Fenghui from his position as a delegate to the National People’s Congress of the 12th National Congress. Fang Fenghui’s delegate qualification was terminated.
In October 2018, with the approval of the CCP Central Committee, the Central Military Commission conducted a review of Fang Fenghui’s serious disciplinary and legal violations. Fang Fenghui was expelled from the party, had his military rank revoked, and the military procuratorial authorities concluded the investigation into his case, which was then transferred for trial.
In February 2019, Fang Fenghui was sentenced to life imprisonment.
In summary, Fang Fenghui’s downfall was publicly announced for the first time after disappearing for several months, directly reported for criminal activities on January 9, 2018, and had his delegate qualification terminated a month later. The National People’s Congress Standing Committee did not separately announce the removal of Fang Fenghui from his position as a member of the National Central Military Commission.
Li Shangfu disappeared after his last public appearance on August 29, 2023.
On October 24, 2023, Xinhua News Agency reported that during the Sixth Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress, Li Shangfu was removed from his position as a member of the National Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and as the Minister of National Defense. At that time, Li Shangfu was still a member of the 20th Central Committee and a delegate to the 14th National People’s Congress.
The announcement only related to Li Shangfu’s position as a member of the National Central Military Commission. Li Shangfu’s position as a member of the CCP Central Military Commission was not officially removed until February 2024, as indicated by its removal from the “senior” section of the Ministry of National Defense website, but an official announcement of the removal decision for this party position was not made.
On June 27, 2024, Xinhua News Agency reported that Li Shangfu was expelled from the party, his delegate qualification to the 20th Party Congress was terminated, and he was handed over to military procuratorial authorities for investigation and prosecution on suspicion of committing crimes. Earlier, the Central Military Commission had decided to strip Li Shangfu of his military status, revoking his rank as an Army General.
The report also mentioned that on August 31, 2023, the military commission’s discipline inspection commission had initiated a review of Li Shangfu’s serious disciplinary and legal violations. However, this information was only made public nearly a year after the incident.
In July 2024, during the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, Li Shangfu was officially expelled from the party.
On September 13, 2024, the 11th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress announced the decision to remove Li Shangfu from his position as a delegate to the 14th National People’s Congress.
Since Li Shangfu was referred for trial in June 2024, more than 1.5 years have passed without any official announcement of a judgment.
Overall, Li Shangfu disappeared after his last public appearance in August 2023. In October, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress announced his removal as a member of the National Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party, but his position as a delegate was retained. Following Li Shangfu’s referral to military procuratorial authorities for investigation and prosecution on June 27, 2024, he was only relieved of his position as a delegate to the National People’s Congress on September 13, 2024.
He Weidong disappeared after attending the closing ceremony of the National People’s Congress on March 11, 2025. On October 17, 2025, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense announced that He Weidong was suspected of serious disciplinary and legal violations, leading to his expulsion from the party and the military. By the end of October 2025, during the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, his expulsion from the party was officially confirmed.
On the afternoon of October 28, 2025, the 18th meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress concluded, appointing Zhang Shengmin as Deputy Chairman of the National Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party, with former deputy chairman He Weidong being dismissed from his position.
On December 27, 2025, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress announced the decision to remove He Weidong from his position as a delegate to the 14th National People’s Congress. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress confirmed the termination of his delegate qualification.
In conclusion, He Weidong was removed from his position after disappearing for several months, first being expelled from the party and the military without being referred to military procuratorial authorities for prosecution, and his removal from the party and the delegate position of the National People’s Congress was promptly announced by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.
Zhang Yuxia and Liu Zhenli were absent from the party’s internal “study session” at the Central Party School on January 20 this year. On January 24, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense announced that Zhang Yuxia and Liu Zhenli were “suspected of serious disciplinary and legal violations” and were being investigated.
On February 26, the 21st meeting of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People’s Congress concluded in Beijing, announcing the removal of the qualifications of 19 national delegates, including 9 military generals. Zhang Yuxia and Liu Zhenli were not among those stripped of their positions.
On February 2, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress convened a meeting, which typically occurs at the end of the month. The emergency nature and brevity of the meeting led to speculation that it might involve the removal of Zhang Yuxia from his position as Deputy Chairman of the National Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and Liu Zhenli from his position as a member of the National Central Military Commission, as well as from their positions as delegates to the National People’s Congress. However, this was not confirmed, with only the termination of the delegate qualifications of numerous other national delegates announced.
In conclusion, Zhang Yuxia and Liu Zhenli currently retain their positions as delegates to the National People’s Congress. Following the precedents set by Fang Fenghui, Li Shangfu, and He Weidong, the removal of Zhang and Liu from their positions in the National People’s Congress and the Chinese Communist Party’s National Central Military Commission may take a longer period, at least until after being expelled from the party and the military or the convening of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP.
Article 74 of the Chinese Constitution states that national delegates cannot be arrested or subjected to criminal trial without permission from the National People’s Congress Standing Committee during the period between sessions or without authorization from the NPC Standing Committee. Many delegates suspected of crimes (including CCP members) are first asked to resign from their positions or are removed before following normal judicial procedures. This procedure bypasses the need for permission. Failure to follow these procedures would necessitate going through the permission process.
Looking at the aforementioned cases, the usual procedure for handling these senior military officers by the Chinese authorities typically involves disappearance, dismissal, expulsion from the party/military, referral to judicial authorities, and finally, the removal of their delegate status. As members of the National People’s Congress, who are supposed to hold a certain level of protective function, their delegate positions are terminated only after being handed over for prosecution, highlighting that the reality diverges from the legal system.
Chinese expert on the subject, Li Linyi, mentioned that the Chinese Communist Party has long been referred to as a gang, and the current CCP leader Xi Jinping is famously known as the “godfather of the gang,” showcasing the party’s mafia-style rule without following proper rules or legal procedures. It should be noted that these removed national delegates are not elected and do not represent the people, and all high-ranking officials are not democratically elected either. Therefore, external observers cannot view or analyze the situation as they would in a normal country.