Beijing’s Military Purge Widening, Whistleblower Says

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On Oct. 18, U.S.-based veteran political commentator Cai Shenkun—who has ties within the CCP establishment—told The Epoch Times that in addition to the nine generals already named, four more are now under investigation.

These include Xu Xueqiang, head of the Equipment Development Department; Xu Qiliang, deputy chief of staff of the Joint Staff Department; Xu Xisheng, political commissar of the Rocket Force; and Xiao Tianliang, president of the National Defense University.

In addition, nine lieutenant generals and 15 major generals have reportedly been dismissed—among them Zhong Shaojun, former director of the General Office and currently political commissar of the National Defense University.

“There are still hundreds of generals waiting in line for investigation,” Cai said. “The so-called Xi faction within the military that took shape after the 20th Party Congress has been essentially wiped out.”

Cai, who has previously revealed accurate information about power shifts within the CCP and the military, cited reliable sources claiming that Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice Chairman He Weidong and CMC Political Work Executive Deputy Director He Hongjun have died. He Weidong reportedly died of a sudden heart attack; he had a history of poor health and had undergone a kidney transplant. He Hongjun reportedly died by suicide.

These claims have not been officially confirmed by the authorities.

On Oct. 17, China’s Ministry of Defense announced that He Weidong, former CMC Political Work Department head Miao Hua, and seven other senior officers were suspected of serious duty-related crimes involving “particularly massive sums.” All nine were expelled from the CCP, and had already been stripped of their military status by the CMC.

The generals removed from both Party and military ranks include: He Weidong, Miao Hua, He Hongjun, Wang Xiubin (executive deputy director of the Joint Operations Command Center), Lin Xiangyang (commander of the Eastern Theater Command), Qin Shutong (Army political commissar), Yuan Huazhi (Navy political commissar), Wang Houbin (Rocket Force commander), and Wang Chunning (commander of the People’s Armed Police).

In an Oct. 18 editorial, the PLA Daily called on the entire military and armed police forces to firmly support the central military leadership’s decision to expel the generals. The article accused the nine generals of “collapsed faith and broken loyalty,” stating they had gravely betrayed the Party’s trust, undermined the principle of Party control over the military, and damaged the military’s political environment.

Cai said internal briefings to officers at the deputy military region level, and above, described the accused not as corrupt officials but as members of an “anti-Party clique.” He noted that while corruption was used as the public-facing justification, the real target of the purge was political and ideological in nature.

Cai also named several other senior generals who are currently under investigation but have not yet been publicly announced. These heavyweight figures include include 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), Han Weiguo (former Army commander), Qin Shengxiang (former Navy political commissar), Wang Renhua (secretary of the CMC Political and Legal Affairs Commission), and Zhang Hongbing (political commissar of the People’s Armed Police).

All of these generals were handpicked and promoted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Wang Youqun, a former aide and speechwriter for Politburo Standing Committee member Wei Jianxing from 1997 to 2002, recently wrote in the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times that when the Ministry of Defense released its statement, it notably omitted a key detail: all nine expelled military officers held the highest rank in the PLA.

Wang said that the omission must be intentional, intended to shield Xi Jinping from embarrassment. After all, Xi—as Chairman of the CMC—personally approved the general rank for all nine officers between 2015 and 2024.

In addition to the nine recently purged generals, five other generals personally promoted by Xi have also been previously ousted, including Defense Ministers Li Shangfu and his predecessor Wei Fenghe, as well as former Rocket Force Commander Li Yuchao. In total, 14 generals elevated by Xi since the 20th Party Congress in 2022 have now come under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law.”

“At the very least, this shows that Xi is extremely incompetent in choosing officials,” Wang said. “It’s a massive disgrace for Xi.”

Most analysts have reached the consensus that this sweeping purge suggests the key decisions for the upcoming Fourth Plenum have been finalized and that Xi Jinping’s grip on power is now more vulnerable than ever.