China's Military Purge Goes Deeper: Generals, Scientists, and Defense Firms All Caught in Xi's Crackdown
What began as a targeted investigation into China's elite missile force has grown into one of the most far-reaching military purges in the history of the People's Republic. Over the past two years, the crackdown has swept through missile units, defense conglomerates, government bodies — and now China's most prestigious academic institutions. The clearest sign that the purge has entered new territory: the quiet removal of top scientists from China's two highest scientific bodies, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). Both institutions grant lifetime membership — the country's most prestigious scholarly honor — and revoke it only in cases of serious wrongdoing.
Udumbara
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A sweeping anti-corruption campaign is shaking China's entire defense establishment — raising serious questions about whether the country's military can meet its own modernization goals.
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From Missile Bases to Research Labs: The Purge Spreads
What began as a targeted investigation into China's elite missile force has grown into one of the most far-reaching military purges in the history of the People's Republic. Over the past two years, the crackdown has swept through missile units, defense conglomerates, government bodies — and now China's most prestigious academic institutions.
The clearest sign that the purge has entered new territory: the quiet removal of top scientists from China's two highest scientific bodies, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). Both institutions grant lifetime membership — the country's most prestigious scholarly honor — and revoke it only in cases of serious wrongdoing.
In recent weeks, the CAS website silently deleted the profile of Yang Wei, the chief designer of China's J-20 stealth fighter jet — one of Beijing's most prized military technology achievements. Yang, 62, had not appeared in public for over a year before his removal was noticed. No official explanation was given. Separately, three senior members of the CAE — Wei Yiyin (missile guidance systems), Zhao Xiangeng (nuclear weapons), and Wu Manqing (military electronics and radar) — also disappeared from the academy's membership rolls without announcement, as reported by Caixin Global in March 2026.
At least ten defense-linked academics have been removed from these institutions over the past three years, according to tracking by open-source analysts.
The Rocket Force Was Just the Beginning
The current wave of purges traces back to mid-2023, when Xi Jinping's government launched an investigation into the PLA Rocket Force — the branch responsible for China's nuclear and conventional missile arsenal.
Within months, the entire top leadership of the Rocket Force had been replaced. Commanders Li Yuchao and Zhang Zhenzhong were removed. Former defense ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu — both deeply connected to the Rocket Force's procurement system — were expelled from the Communist Party on corruption charges in 2024.
Even the replacement leadership proved no guarantee. Wang Houbin, appointed Rocket Force commander in 2023 to clean up the mess, was himself expelled from the party in October 2025 — just two years after being installed, according to reporting by Reuters and CNN.
By then, the purge had reached the very top of the Central Military Commission (CMC), China's supreme military command. In October 2025, nine senior generals were officially expelled from the Communist Party — including He Weidong, the country's second-highest ranking general. The U.S. Pentagon's 2025 annual report on Chinese military developments confirmed that over 79 senior officers at lieutenant general level or above had been removed or placed under investigation since 2023.
Defense Industry Takes a Real Financial Hit
The purge is not just about personnel. It is now measurably hurting China's defense output.
According to a December 2025 report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), revenues at China's eight largest arms companies fell by 10% in 2024, to a combined $88.3 billion. This happened while the global defense industry hit record highs — with the world's top 100 arms firms collectively earning $679 billion, a 5.9% increase.
China was the only major arms-producing nation to see a decline. Japan's defense revenues rose 40%, Germany's by 36%, and the United States posted growth of 3.8%.
The hardest hit was Norinco, China's primary producer of land-based weapons systems, which saw revenues drop 31% to $14 billion. AVIC — the aviation giant behind the J-20 stealth fighter — reported slowed aircraft deliveries. CASC, responsible for missiles and aerospace systems, faced procurement freezes after corruption-linked leadership changes triggered government audits.
SIPRI's Nan Tian, director of the institute's arms production program, said that corruption allegations had caused major weapons contracts to be postponed or canceled outright in 2024. SIPRI researcher Xiao Liang added that the timeline for advanced Rocket Force systems — including ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles — was now at risk.
The 2027 Deadline Is Now in Doubt
China's military has long been working toward a critical benchmark: achieving full modernization and war-fighting readiness by 2027, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army's predecessor force.
That deadline now looks increasingly uncertain. Multiple analysts have noted that leadership vacuums, frozen procurement contracts, and morale damage caused by the purge could all delay the fielding of key next-generation systems.
The U.S. Pentagon's 2025 report noted that the number of state-owned defense enterprise heads officially under investigation doubled from three in 2023 to six in 2024. In March 2026, five additional defense industry figures had their credentials revoked at a session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, including former heads of China's aero engine, electronics, and satellite network corporations.
The CNA (Center for Naval Analyses), a U.S. government-funded research organization, noted that if senior officers had been promoted through bribery rather than merit, their operational competence would be questionable — and if weapons contracts had been awarded based on kickbacks rather than quality, the reliability of those systems could be compromised.
A System That Cannot Fix Itself?
Many analysts argue that, despite the scale of the crackdown, the fundamental structure enabling corruption remains in place.
China's defense industry is dominated by state-owned enterprises with no independent competition for contracts, no external oversight of procurement, and no transparency in how decisions are made. Critics argue that no matter how many individuals are removed, the closed system that enables misconduct will continue to generate it.
The Lowy Institute, an Australian foreign policy think tank, described the purge as reflecting Xi Jinping's effort to remove obstacles to his broader geopolitical ambitions — including the goal of making China a global superpower by 2049. But the institute also noted that prioritizing political loyalty over professional competence carries its own strategic risks.
For Xi, the dilemma is real: the same centralized control that allows him to purge the military also makes it harder for officers to flag problems honestly or push back on unrealistic goals. In trying to build a more trustworthy military, he may be making it less capable.
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Sources
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Reuters – "China's military firms struggle as corruption purge bites, report says" (November 30, 2025): https://www.investing.com/news/world-news/chinas-military-firms-struggle-as-corruption-purge-bites-report-says-4382638
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CNN Business – "China's military firms struggle as corruption purge bites" (November 30, 2025): https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/30/business/china-military-firms-struggle-purge-intl-hnk
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SIPRI Arms Industry Database / via Nikkei Asia (December 2, 2025): https://asia.nikkei.com/politics/defense/china-s-military-firms-struggle-as-corruption-purge-bites-report-says
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South China Morning Post – "J-20 fighter jet designer scrubbed from Chinese Academy of Sciences website" (March 2026): https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346972/j-20-fighter-jet-designer-scrubbed-chinese-academy-sciences-website
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Caixin Global – "Three Top Defense Scientists Removed From China's Elite Engineering Academy" (March 16, 2026): https://www.caixinglobal.com/2026-03-16/three-top-defense-scientists-removed-from-chinas-elite-engineering-academy-102423544.html
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CNA (Center for Naval Analyses) – "Military Purges at China's Fourth Plenum Have Implications for Readiness": https://www.cna.org/our-media/indepth/2025/11/military-purges-at-chinas-fourth-plenum-have-implications-for-readiness
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MERICS – "Xi's second purge of China's military" (January 8, 2025): https://merics.org/en/comment/xis-second-purge-chinas-military
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Lowy Institute – "Explaining Xi's PLA purges": https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/explaining-xi-s-pla-purges
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The Diplomat – "The Shakeup in China's Rocket Force Continues" (January 3, 2024): https://thediplomat.com/2024/01/the-shakeup-in-chinas-rocket-force-continues/
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Pentagon Annual Report – "Military and Security Developments Involving the PRC" (December 2025), via Andrew Erickson / Small Wars Journal: https://www.andrewerickson.com/2025/12/corruption-cashiering-continued-progress-new-china-military-power-report-probes-pla-leadership-and-organizational-trends/
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