BEIJING, Feb 11 (Reuters) – China’s military has stepped up its fight against corruption over the past year, President Xi Jinping told the country’s military on Wednesday, making a rare public reference to corruption investigations involving top Chinese generals.
China’s two most senior generals are embroiled in disciplinary investigations, with He Weidong fired in October and Zhang Youxia put under investigation in January, in one of the most high-profile purges of the Chinese military in decades.
“The past year was an unusual and extraordinary year,” Xi told the military in a virtual speech. “The people’s army deepens political education, effectively responds to various risks and challenges, and carries out revolutionary forging in the fight against corruption.”
Military leadership reduced to two people
The resignation of Zhang and He, the two vice-chairmen of the Central Military Commission, leaves China’s seven-member top military leadership body with only two people – Xi Jinping himself as the chairman of the Central Military Commission and the new vice-chairman Zhang Shengmin.
The seats of the remaining three members of the Central Military Commission are currently empty. Li Shangfu was fired in 2024, Miao Hua was fired in 2025, and Liu Zhenli was investigated for corruption last month. An unknown number of commanders, including the leader of China’s nuclear deterrent, were also purged.
Zhang Youxia – one of the few remaining veterans of the People’s Liberation Army – is likely to be one of the key decision-makers on whether China will attack Taiwan, the democratically ruled island claimed by Beijing.
The purge at the top of the military comes as China steps up efforts to modernize its armed forces and project military power further afield.
In Xi’s virtual speech on Wednesday, he instead praised ordinary people, calling them “trustworthy.”
The entire army, especially the officers and soldiers at the grassroots level, resolutely obeyed the party’s leadership, faithfully performed their duties, concentrated on overcoming difficulties, and successfully completed various tasks.
(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Alex Richardson)