China Ousts 3 Generals From Top Political Advisory Body Amid Sweeping Purges
Udumbara
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China removed three generals from the country’s top political advisory body, as purges in the upper echelons of the country’s armed forces show no signs of abating.
Han Weiguo, former Army commander, was among three military officers expelled from the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference during a meeting that concluded on March 2, according to state media Xinhua.
No official reasons were given for their departure. Under the body’s constitution, members will be dismissed if they are under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law.”
With Han’s downfall, three of the four generals who had commanded the world’s largest standing ground force since Xi’s 2015 military overhaul have effectively been purged.
Before being transferred to the political advisory body, Han served as PLA ground forces commander between 2017 and 2021, and worked alongside political commissar Liu Lei for four years.
On March 2, Liu was also dismissed from the top political advisory body, state media said.
The third ousted general was Gao Jin, former head of the logistics support department of the Central Military Commission.
All three men were promoted to the rank of full general by Chinese leader Xi Jinping in July 2017. They were retired from the PLA before their ousters.
Among the expelled was Li Qiaoming, who was appointed the Army’s commander in September 2022, taking over from Liu Zhenli, who was subsequently named the PLA chief of staff.
In late January, China’s defense ministry announced that Liu Zhenli and another top general, Zhang Youxia, were under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law.
The announcement came just days before Beijing stages the biggest political event, known as the “Two Sessions.”
Nearly 5,000 carefully picked delegates are heading to Beijing for the annual meetings of the National People’s Congress and its political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
They are set to approve a set of policies predetermined by the ruling Communist Party, including this year’s military budget. Personnel reshuffles are also expected to be on the agenda.
The meetings will be closely watched by China analysts, particularly amid ongoing purges that have fueled speculation about the regime’s leadership’s instability.
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