On the eve of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), nine senior generals, including He Weidong, a member of the CPC Political Bureau and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, were reported to have been expelled from the party and the military. There are reports that a group of other military leaders have also been removed from their positions, including four senior generals such as Xu Xueqiang, Minister of Equipment Development.
Furthermore, it was revealed by independent commentator Cai Shenkun, with connections inside the CCP system, on October 18th that a total purge of senior military leaders within the CCP’s army occurred. Following the public announcement of the expulsion of the nine senior generals, four additional senior generals have been implicated. These include Xu Xueqiang, Minister of Equipment Development; Xu Qiling, the Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff Department; Xu Xisheng, the Political Commissar of the Rocket Army; and Xiao Tianliang, the President of the National Defense University.
In addition to the nine major generals, fifteen brigadier generals have been dismissed from their posts, including former Director of the Military Office and current Political Commissar of the National Defense University, Zhong Shaojun.
According to Cai Shenkun, there are still hundreds of generals in line for review, post the 20th Congress. The so-called “Xi Jinping’s Army” that was formed after the Congress has essentially been annihilated.
Cai Shenkun also disclosed reliable information suggesting that both He Weidong and He Hongjun are deceased. He Weidong is said to have died of a sudden heart attack due to his poor health, having undergone a kidney transplant. Meanwhile, He Hongjun reportedly committed suicide and was a protege of Jia Ting’an, former Deputy Director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission during Jiang Zemin’s era.
The above-mentioned information has not been officially confirmed at this time.
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense announced on the 17th that He Weidong, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Miao Hua, former Director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission, among nine others, were suspected of serious crimes in their official duties and faced “particularly significant” charges, resulting in the expulsion from the party. The nine individuals had their military status revoked by the Central Military Commission earlier.
The nine individuals expelled from both party and military ranks include He Weidong, Miao Hua, He Hongjun, Wang Xiubin, Lin Xiangyang, Qin Shutong, Yuan Huazhi, Wang Houbin, and Wang Chunling.
Of these nine senior generals, all members of the 20th Central Committee, except for Wang Houbin, who was appointed as Commander of the Rocket Army in 2023, will be formally dismissed at the upcoming Fourth Plenary Session.
On the 18th, a military commentary issued by the CCP urged all military and armed police personnel to firmly support the central decisions. The article accused He Weidong, Miao Hua, He Hongjun, and the other nine individuals of “collapsing in faith, disloyalty, seriously betraying the trust of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, seriously damaging the Party’s principle of commanding the gun, and the Chairmanship responsibility system of the Military Commission, as well as seriously harming the military’s political environment”.
Cai Shenkun stated that in the internal notices conveyed to the CPC Deputy Military personnel and above, those accused, including Miao Hua, were convicted of forming an anti-Party group rather than corruption issues. Corruption was merely used as a public excuse. Therefore, this purge is comprehensive in nature.
Previously, there were reports of other senior generals under investigation but not publicly disclosed, including Liu Qingsong, Political Commissar of the Eastern Theater Command; Wang Haijiang, Commander of the Western Theater Command; Huang Ming, Commander of the Northern Theater Command; Wang Qiang, Commander of the Central Theater Command; Xu Deqing, Political Commissar of the Central Theater Command; former Army Commander Han Weiguo; former Navy Political Commissar Qin Shengxiang; Political and Legal Affairs Commission Secretary Wang Renhua of the Military Commission; and Armed Police Force Political Commissar Zhang Hongbing, among others.
All these senior generals were promoted by Xi Jinping personally.
Taiwan’s media “Up Media” published an article by independent commentator Du Zheng on October 4th, suggesting that many of those promoted by Xi have been ousted, directly weakening Xi Jinping’s authority. Some say Xi is removing his own people, while others believe it is an effort by someone else to purge those close to him. However, it appears more like others are forcing him to bring down his own associates. In either case, prior to the Fourth Plenary Session, this series of events will become a laughingstock among all Central Committee members, resulting in a major humiliation for Xi.