Free to Read: Two of China’s Former Defense Ministers Expelled From Communist Party
Li Shangfu and his immediate predecessor Wei Fenghe are both suspected of taking bribes
Li Shangfu (left) and Wei Fenghe
Two former Chinese defense ministers have been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) on allegations of corruption, state media reported.
Li Shangfu, who was removed as defense minister in October 2023, is suspected to have offered and received bribes, a Central Military Commission (CMC) disciplinary body’s investigation found, according to state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Wei Fenghe, Li’s immediate predecessor, is suspected of taking bribes, among other disciplinary violations. The actions of both former officials “caused serious damage to the party’s cause, national defense and military construction, as well as the image of the senior leading cadres,” the Xinhua reports said.
Both Li and Wei resisted the official investigation, which found evidence of other serious violations by them of discipline and law, causing particularly severe damage and extremely bad impact, the report said.
The announcements were made during a CPC Central Committee Politburo meeting Thursday. Li and Wei will face criminal prosecution by military authorities, the reports said.
Li and Wei have also been stripped of their qualification as delegates to the current CPC National Congress, which was elected in October 2022, according to Thursday’s announcements. The two had been removed from the CMC, the country’s top military decision-making body, and lost their general titles, the announcements said.
Li, 66, joined the military in 1982 and took the defense minister job in early 2023. As a veteran space industry expert with an engineering PhD, he was commander of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center for a decade and led the launch of Chang’s 2 uncrewed lunar mission.
Wei, 70, joined the military in 1970 as a soldier at the Army Rocket Force, formerly known as the Second Artillery Corps. He climbed to the commander of the Army Rocket Force before being appointed defense minister in 2018. He was put under investigation by the CMC’s disciplinary body six months after he retired in March 2023.