On February 25, 2026, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the Chinese Communist Party held a full meeting, during which 13 members were notably absent. Among them were two prominent members, Generals He Ping and Zheng Weiping. He Ping and Zheng Weiping have previously served alongside General He Weidong in the Eastern Theater Command and the former Nanjing Military Region.
According to the report from the official Chinese Communist Party media Xinhua News Agency, the 21st meeting of the 14th Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress was held in Beijing on February 25, 2026. Zhao Leji, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and Chairman of the National People’s Congress, presided over the meeting. A total of 152 members of the Standing Committee attended the meeting.
Initially composed of 175 members, the 14th Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress has seen 8 members disqualified and 2 members resign as of February 2026, leaving a total of 165 members.
The absence of 13 members of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, including Vice Chairman of the National People’s Congress and Chairman of the Democratic National Construction Association Hao Mingjin, and 12 other members, sparked attention in the media and among observers.
According to a post on the social media platform X on February 25, 2026, during the 21st meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, at least two military members of the Standing Committee were absent. They were General He Ping, currently Vice Chairman of the Constitution and Law Committee of the National People’s Congress, and former Political Commissar of the Eastern Theater Command; and General Zheng Weiping, currently Vice Chairman of the Education, Science, Culture, and Health Committee of the National People’s Congress, and former Political Commissar of the Strategic Support Force. Both had attended the 19th meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress held at the end of December 2025.
Their public biographies show that He Ping, born in November 1957 in Sichuan, had held various positions within the military before becoming a member of the National People’s Congress. He was promoted to the rank of Major General in 2009, Lieutenant General in 2017, and General in 2019. He has served in the Western Theater Command and the Eastern Theater Command, working alongside He Weidong and Lin Xiangyang.
Similarly, Zheng Weiping, born in July 1955 in Shanxi Province, served in different high-ranking positions within the military. He reached the rank of General in July 2015 and retired in December 2020 before assuming his current position as Vice Chairman of the Education, Science, Culture, and Health Committee of the National People’s Congress in February 2021.
The interconnected careers and past assignments of these military figures within the former Nanjing Military Region and the Eastern Theater Command have drawn attention, especially given the recent dismissals and investigations of several high-ranking officials in the military on charges of serious violations of discipline and the law.
The absence of key military figures from the meeting raised questions about the significance and implications within the political landscape of the Chinese Communist Party. The involvement of these individuals in various regions and positions suggests a complex network of relationships and dynamics within the military and the party elite.
As the Chinese Communist Party approaches its fourth plenary session, the absence of these high-ranking officers from the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress adds another layer of intrigue to the ongoing power struggle and anti-corruption campaign within the party and the military establishment.