On November 6, 2026, an announcement was made regarding the disqualification of four major generals from their positions as representatives of the National People’s Congress (NPC) in China. The officials affected by this decision are Zhang Gong, the Commander of the Guangdong Military Region; Guo Jianjun, the former Political Commissar of the Ningxia Military Region; Wu Yuhong, the former Deputy Political Commissar of the Naval Forces in the Eastern Theater; and Meng Qingbin, the former Political Commissar of the Gansu Military Region. This disqualification adds to a growing trend, as since the beginning of 2023, a total of 50 senior military leaders have lost their NPC representative statuses.
The announcement coincided with the conclusion of the 25th session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee. Additional news revealed that former Jiangxi Province Governor Ye Jianchun, who was dismissed on August 27, 2026; former Deputy Secretary-General of the Henan Provincial Government He Xiong, who fell from grace on August 20, 2026; Ji Tao, General Manager of Hunan Zhongyan Industrial Co., Ltd.; and Huang Yi, Chairman of Tianfu Bank in Sichuan, were also stripped of their representative duties.
Moreover, five additional representatives voluntarily resigned from their positions. Among these representatives are Xu Renbiao, the former Mayor of Zhoushan City in Zhejiang Province, along with the previously mentioned generals Zhang Gong, Guo Jianjun, Wu Yuhong, and Meng Qingbin. As of now, there are a total of 2,839 active representatives in the 14th National People’s Congress.
Public records reveal a bit of the backgrounds of the generals who have been disqualified. Zhang Gong’s career includes serving as chief of staff of the Beihai Fleet’s aviation units and as Deputy Chief of Staff for the East Sea Fleet. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in June 2019 and appointed as Commander of the Jiangxi Military Region in 2022, leading to his role as a member of the Guangdong Provincial Standing Committee.
Guo Jianjun was born in December 1965 in the Lushan County of Pingdingshan, Henan Province, and has held several significant positions within the military, including the Director of the Operations Department in the Gansu Military Region and the Political Commissar of the Ningxia Military Region. His promotion to major general occurred in July 2015.
Wu Yuhong hails from Dong’an County in Yongzhou, Hunan Province, and reached the rank of Rear Admiral in December 2018. He attracted notable attention during the October 1, 2019, military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, where he led the coastal missile battalion.
Meng Qingbin has a distinguished career in various roles within the armed police forces, including the Head of the Political Department for the 8620 unit, and has contributed significantly as a political commissar at several regional military stations.
In recent years, internal strife within the Chinese military has escalated, leading to a series of purges. Before the disqualification of Zhang Gong, Guo Jianjun, Wu Yuhong, and Meng Qingbin, there had already been the removal of 46 military NPC representatives, including 22 full generals, 18 major generals, and 6 rear admirals.
Further released information indicates that two other military officers, Li Dong and Chen Yu, have retired and transitioned to civilian roles, formally removing them from the military delegation and integrating them into local representatives.
In early 2023, the Chinese military and armed police force convened representative assemblies across 26 electoral units, culminating in the election of 281 NPC representatives.
According to the latest updates from the official NPC website, the current number of military representatives stands at 229.