China ousts two military lawmakers as Xi's defense purge widens

Josh Xiao, Bloomberg News on Dec 25, 2024

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China abruptly ousted two military lawmakers from its national parliament without explanation, as a purge of key personnel in the upper echelons of the nation’s defense establishment shows no sign of easing.

The country’s top legislative body revoked the membership of You Haitao and Li Pengcheng during a Wednesday meeting, according to a report from the National People’s Congress Standing Committee.

You was once a deputy commander of the People’s Liberation Army Ground Force. Li is the navy commander of the Southern Theater Command, which oversees the South China Sea region that has been fraught with territorial tensions. Li’s predecessor — Ju Xinchun — was purged from the parliament a year ago.

The legislative body only said You and Li were suspected of violating law and discipline, which is typically how the Communist Party refers to corruption. Their departures are the latest sign that the anti-corruption campaign sweeping through the military since last summer — originally targeted at the PLA’s equipment procurement unit and the secretive Rocket Force — continues unabated.

Last month, China suspended one of its senior officials on the Central Military Commission, the nation’s top military body led by President Xi Jinping. On Monday, China unexpectedly revealed a new political commissar for the Ground Force.

The U.S. Defense Department has said that graft probes could hinder modernization goals for China’s armed forces.

Xi, China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, has been intensifying his grip on the military. He ordered a reorganization of the armed forces this year, replacing the Strategic Support Force created in 2015 with three new branches. He also held the first military-political work conference since 2014, a conclave he previously used to assert his authority over the PLA.