In recent news from December 18, 2025, the power struggle within the Chinese Communist military continues to escalate. In a rare move, the Chinese military openly solicited clues related to corruption in the procurement process of the Air Force. Reports have emerged indicating that several high-ranking Air Force generals, including the current Air Force Commander Chang Dingqiu, have encountered trouble.
On December 15, the Chinese military issued a public announcement on the military procurement website titled “Announcement on Soliciting Violations in Air Force Procurement.” The announcement stated that it will address irregularities in the material and service procurement activities organized by the Air Force units, including tendering agency-organized projects. This includes issues related to demand formulation, procurement evaluation, contract performance, supplier penalties, tendering agency selection, and online procurement, among others.
The announcement specifically mentioned that suppliers, evaluation experts, tendering agencies, bidding agents participating in Air Force procurement activities, as well as internal personnel related to projects, can provide feedback through postal mail. The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2026.
This marks the first time the Chinese Communist Party has publicly initiated such an investigation targeting a specific military branch.
Military procurement has been identified as a focal point of corruption within the Chinese Communist regime.
In July 2023, the Chinese Military Commission openly solicited corruption clues in military procurement and bidding processes, retroactively going back six years to investigate leaks and other behaviors. Following this, a significant number of high-ranking officials, including Rocket Force Commander Li Yuchao, two former Defense Ministers Wei Feng and Li Shangfu, were implicated. Many senior executives from military-industrial enterprises also fell from grace.
The timing of this announcement concerning Air Force procurement issues coincides with the recent purge of several generals, including He Weidong and Miao Hua during the Fourth Plenary Session in October, amidst turmoil within the military.
Within the Chinese Communist Air Force system, during the anti-corruption storm of the past two years, Air Force General Ding Laihang transitioned from Air Force Commander to a position in the National People’s Congress in 2023, only to be ousted at the end of the same year within nine months.
Currently, several more Air Force generals are speculated to be on the list of those facing troubles.
Among them, Air Force General and Minister of Equipment Development of the Central Military Commission, Xu Xueqiang, did not attend this month’s Central Economic Work Conference as per tradition. He also missed the commissioning ceremony of the aircraft carrier Fujian in Sanya in November.
Independent commentator Cai Shenkun, with connections within the Chinese Communist system, revealed on October 18, 2025, to Da Ji Yuan that Minister of Equipment Development Xu Xueqiang had fallen from grace.
Xu Xueqiang was appointed as the Chief of Staff of the Eastern Theater Command in 2016. During Miao Hua’s tenure as Director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission from August 2017 to November 2024, Xu Xueqiang was rapidly promoted within three years to the ranks of Major General and Lieutenant General, assuming key positions. He obtained the rank of Major General in June 2019 and became the President of the National Defense University in August 2021, receiving the rank of Lieutenant General in September of the same year. Following the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in October 2022, Xu Xueqiang succeeded Li Shangfu as the Minister of Equipment Development of the Military Commission.
Wang Qiang, an Air Force General and Commander of the Central Theater Command, notably did not serve as the chief commander of the Beijing military parade, sparking speculation about his situation. Nevertheless, he did attend the Fourth Plenary Session in October.
On December 11, prominent Chinese political scientist Liu Junning released information stating that current Air Force Commander Chang Dingqiu unexpectedly passed away due to a heart attack during his period of “residential surveillance” by the Commission for Discipline Inspection.
Chang Dingqiu, aged 58, was promoted to Air Force Commander in 2021 by Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, making him the “youngest General” and “the youngest official of the Major Theater Command.”
The veracity of this revelation is yet to be confirmed. However, mainland China’s Baidu Baike seems to have quietly deleted Chang Dingqiu’s entry.
As of December 17, Baidu Baike still displays the names of the first Air Force Commander and Political Commissar, as well as the current Commander and Political Commissar in the entries related to the Chinese Air Force. While links to the profiles of the other three individuals work, the link to Chang Dingqiu’s entry is shown as unavailable.
Commentator Wang Youqun pointed out in an article on Da Ji Yuan that high-ranking officials like Chang Dingqiu should have entries on Baidu Baike. The sudden deletion of Chang Dingqiu’s profile indirectly suggests that he may have really passed away.
Earlier in June, Xu Qiliang, a former Vice Chairman of the Chinese Military Commission and also an Air Force General, unexpectedly passed away on June 2, with reports suggesting a “non-natural death,” yet the actual cause remains unknown.