Why Xi Jinping’s crusade against corruption in the military is far from over

Analysts say there’s more to come given that graft has long been rampant, the rapid build-up of the PLA, and its ‘insular’ culture

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Published: 6:00am, 8 Aug 2024Updated: 9:02am, 8 Aug 2024

Ten days into his first term as leader of China’s ruling Communist Party and its military, Xi Jinping promoted a new general.

It was November 2012, and Wei Fenghe was conferred with the new rank in a small ceremony at the military’s Bayi Building in Beijing.

Wei was commander-in-chief of the People’s Liberation Army Second Artillery Corps, which oversaw the country’s nuclear arsenal at the time. State news agency Xinhua reported that Wei looked “orderly and in high spirits” and Xi had “shaken his hand warmly”.

Xi Jinping (centre) poses for a photo with the newly promoted General Wei Fenghe (first left) and other high-ranking military officers after a ceremony in Beijing on November 23, 2012. Photo: Xinhua

A decade on, things could not be more different. After vanishing from public view last year, Wei – who was defence minister from 2018 to 2023 – has been expelled from the party, along with his successor Li Shangfu. In the announcement in June, Beijing accused both Wei and Li of bribery and political disloyalty.

The wording on Wei was especially harsh. It said he had “betrayed the trust of the party and the [Central Military Commission], seriously polluted the political environment of the military, and caused great damage to the party’s cause, national defence and military construction, as well as the image of its senior leaders”.

A number of top generals have been purged in Xi’s campaign to stamp out corruption in the world’s largest army. But Wei stands out as the only one accused of “being disloyal and losing one’s chastity” – odd wording that analysts say could suggest he was compromised by a hostile force.

Wei Fenghe was accused of “being disloyal and losing one’s chastity”. Photo: AP

It’s not over yet

The war on military corruption – now in its second decade – has brought down more generals than the number killed on 20th century battlefields. Beijing has declared an “overwhelming victory” in the fight against graft, while PLA generals have praised Xi’s command over the campaign as having “saved the military at a critical time”.