China’s Rocket Force Disciplinary Chief Suspected of Corruption, Beijing Says

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Oct 17, 2025 - 09:58 Updated: Oct 17, 2025 - 03:16
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China’s Rocket Force Disciplinary Chief Suspected of Corruption, Beijing Says

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A top official in Beijing’s secretive Rocket Force was expelled, under suspicion of corruption, from a Communist Party-run legislature, Chinese authorities revealed on Oct. 15.

China announced in a brief statement last month that Lt. Gen. Wang Zhibin and three other generals, were removed as delegates to the People’s Congress (NPC), China’s rubber-stamped legislature. No reason was given at the time for the abrupt dismissal.
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The NPC’s standing committee, in a detailed report released on Oct. 15, disclosed for the first time that Wang was suspected of “serious discipline and law violations,” a phrase that generally refers to corruption. The decision to strip Wang’s NPC title was adopted during an Army meeting on July 18, it added.

The report refers to Wang as the disciplinary chief of the Rocket Force, which manages the country’s conventional and nuclear missiles—a title that was not previously disclosed by Beijing.

It is unclear whether Wang was transferred to the secretive military unit. Recent state media reports referred to him as the army’s political commissar of the Western Theater Command.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has become increasingly opaque in recent years, particularly in the wake of numerous graft investigations into military leaders that have raised questions about the effectiveness of its fighting forces.

The latest NPC report also mentioned that Gen. Wang Chunning, commander of the armed police force, was suspected of grave violations of party discipline and laws, and was ousted from the NPC on July 25.

In addition, Lt. Gen. Zhang Lin, head of the Logistics Support Department, and Lt. Gen. Gao Daguang, political commissar of the Joint Logistics Support Force, faced the same accusation and were kicked out of the NPC on July 21, according to the report.

The report came just four days before Beijing is to stage a key plenum that will include Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other Communist Party elites.

The focus of the closed-door meeting will be the 15th five-year plan, a blueprint outlining social, economic, and political objectives for the next five years, according to state media Xinhua. Personnel reshuffles are also expected to be on the agenda.

The conclave, known as the fourth plenum, will be closely watched by political analysts who are monitoring any signs of potential power transfer. The unprecedented purges of high-ranking officials from the Communist Party and its armed forces have sparked speculation about the instability of the regime’s leadership.
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Launched by Xi more than a decade ago, the anti-graft campaign initially targeted officers loyal to factions opposing Xi’s rule. The latest purges, however, have increasingly turned against Xi’s protégés and old associates. Some well-connected analysts say Xi may have lost his grip on power.
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