China Purges Eight Senior Officials in Sweeping Anti-Corruption Move

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Eight Officials Removed Without Explanation

China's National People's Congress (NPC) — the country's top legislative body — announced on Friday, June 27, 2026, that eight prominent officials have been stripped of their parliamentary seats. The announcement came via the NPC Standing Committee and gave no reasons for the dismissals.

The eight are: six People's Liberation Army (PLA) generals, former financial regulator Li Yunze, and Politburo member Ma Xingrui, who has been under investigation for corruption since April 2026.

Who Was Removed?

Among the six generals, the most prominent is General Xu Xueqiang. He served as head of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission — the body responsible for procuring, developing and testing all weapons and technology for China's armed forces. Since 2022, Xu has also been commander-in-chief of China's Manned Space Programme, which oversees the Tiangong space station and all crewed missions.

Analysts had already noted Xu's unexplained absence from key public events in late 2025, including a major naval commissioning ceremony in November. His removal confirms what many observers had suspected.

The other five generals removed are:

• General Li Fengbiao — former political commissar of the PLA Western Theatre Command
• General Guo Puxiao — former political commissar of the PLA Air Force
• Wang Kangping — Eastern Theatre Command
• Zhang Minghua — Cyberspace Force
• Yin Hongxing — PLA Army

A Financial Regulator and a Politburo Member Also Fall

Li Yunze, formerly the head of China's National Financial Regulatory Administration, was demoted in April 2026. His removal from parliament now confirms his complete fall from power.

Ma Xingrui's case is equally significant. As a Politburo member — one of the 24 most powerful figures in China — his investigation marked only the third time in recent years that a sitting member of that elite body had been placed under scrutiny. Ma previously served as party secretary of Xinjiang and had a background in the aerospace industry.

A Purge That Won't Stop

Friday's removals are not isolated incidents. Since 2023, China has removed dozens of senior military figures from their NPC seats and stripped them of leadership posts. The purge has swept through the Army, Navy, Air Force, Rocket Force, Cyberspace Force and Information Support Force — essentially every branch of the PLA.

The scale is striking. According to analyses of NPC records, more than 36 military deputies have been removed in just over two years, including at least 16 generals.

The campaign began in earnest after revelations of deep corruption in the PLA Rocket Force in 2023. Reports at the time alleged that some missiles had been filled with water instead of fuel, and that newly constructed missile silo doors were defective — a direct result of procurement fraud and bid-rigging.

In May 2026, two former defense ministers — Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu — received suspended death sentences for corruption, the harshest punishment handed down so far.

Xi's Dilemma: Cleaning House vs. Breaking the House

President Xi Jinping has made anti-corruption his signature policy since taking power in 2012. In the military, the campaign is framed as necessary to build a "loyal, clean and capable" fighting force.

But experts are raising uncomfortable questions about the side effects. Each purge leaves leadership vacuums in critical departments. The Equipment Development Department — which controls weapons procurement and the space programme — has now lost multiple successive heads to corruption investigations. The Rocket Force, the branch that manages China's nuclear missiles, has been gutted of senior commanders.

A January 2026 analysis in The National Interest described the situation bluntly: the Central Military Commission and the PLA have become "graveyards for political careers," with systemic corruption threatening real combat capability.

The NPC offered no timetable for replacements, and the Defense Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

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Sources

1. Reuters — China strips generals, ex-financial regulator, politburo member of lawmaker posts (June 27, 2026): https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-strips-generals-ex-financial-regulator-politburo-member-lawmaker-posts-2026-06-27/

2. The National Interest — The Chinese Military's Rotten Core (January 2026): https://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-chinese-militarys-rotten-core

3. Wikipedia — 2023 PLA Rocket Force Corruption Case: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Rocket_Force_corruption_case

4. Wikipedia — Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equipment_Development_Department_of_the_Central_Military_Commission

5. Bloomberg — China Removes Six Military Lawmakers as Xi's Defense Purge Expands (June 26, 2026): https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-26/china-ousts-six-military-lawmakers-as-xi-s-purge-continues

6. Table.Media — Ma Xingrui: Third senior Politburo member removed amid corruption probe (April 2026): https://table.media/en/china/news-en/ma-xingrui-third-senior-politburo-member-removed-amid-corruption-probe

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