Chinese Defense Ministry’s Website Removes Admiral’s Name as Internal Rifts Widen

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Jun 4, 2025 - 10:05 Updated: Jun 3, 2025 - 17:51
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Chinese Defense Ministry’s Website Removes Admiral’s Name as Internal Rifts Widen

The official website of China’s defense ministry indicates that Adm. Miao Hua has quietly been expelled from its top military leadership body.

Miao’s name no longer appears on the leadership list of the Central Military Commission (CMC), which commands the regime’s armed forces, according to a check of the ministry’s website on May 30. Archived internet data indicated that Miao was among those listed until at least May 13.

Appointed to the CMC in late 2017, Miao was abruptly suspended from office and placed under investigation in November 2024. The reason cited by the defense ministry for the probe into Miao at the time was “serious violation of discipline,” a term typically referring to corruption.

To date, there has been no formal announcement about Miao’s seat on the CMC, whether from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or the state panel. The CMC is a parallel structure to the CCP and the state, with the same membership.

China announced in a brief statement on April 30 that Miao had been removed as a delegate to the National People’s Congress (NPC), a Party-controlled legislature that formally appoints senior state officials.
A more detailed work report from the NPC’s standing committee, dated May 15, revealed that the decision to expel Miao was initially made by the CMC’s political work department on March 14.

The report mentioned that Miao was ousted due to suspicion of “grave violations of discipline and the law.” For the CCP, that language is also associated with graft, but it typically suggests a more serious offense than a mere disciplinary breach.

Such accusations ended some uncertainty about Miao’s professional fate, analysts said.

Following the two announcements, Miao’s “removal from the CMC is certain,” Chen Pokong, a current affairs commentator who has written several books on Chinese political culture, told The Epoch Times.

Why China chose to expel Miao now is less clear. Chen pointed out that the move marked the departure of the Party’s customary practice of determining CMC’s composition during plenum sessions.

Inconsistency

Shen Ming-Shih, a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a think tank funded by the Taiwanese government, expressed similar viewpoints.

Shen pointed to the fact that Miao’s name hasn’t been removed from the central government’s website. A check of the official website on June 2 confirmed that the CMC’s list still carries Miao’s name. Notably, it shows the source as state media Xinhua.

Shen told The Epoch Times that Miao’s dismissal “should have been confirmed,” given that his name has already been taken down from the defense ministry’s site.

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Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu attends the 20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 2, 2023. Caroline Chia/Reuters
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When China scrapped Gen. Li Shangfu from the defense ministry’s website a year ago, there was no official suggestion that he was removed from the party’s CMC or that there were any probes of him. Li was ousted from his defense minister’s job in October 2023, after a mysterious two-month absence from duties.
It wasn’t until June 2024 that Beijing announced Li’s expulsion from the CCP and the military over corruption charges.

Shen said the inconsistency between the two official websites could be a result of a lag in updates.

“It’s possible that the defense ministry acts first to remove his name, while the central government’s website has yet to catch up,” he said.

Another possibility, according to Shen, points to a power struggle among the upper echelons of the CCP, which might have led to conflicting orders.

Power Struggle

Miao is one of the most senior military figures ensnared in a renewed anti-graft campaign that began in the summer of 2023. More than a dozen senior commanders and defense leaders have been unseated. The spate of downfall has raised questions about the CCP’s ability to build modernized fighting forces and the overall stability of leadership.
Recent reports indicated that Gen. He Weidong, vice chair of the CMC and a close ally of Party leader Xi Jinping, has been caught up in the purge of the military establishment. He hasn’t been seen in public since mid-March.
China’s defense ministry hasn’t responded to questions about He’s status, and at a news briefing in March, the ministry’s spokesperson said he was “not aware” of the purported investigation into He.
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Gen. He Weidong (R), second-ranked vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), and Zhang Youxia, first-ranked vice chairman of the CMC, attend the opening ceremony of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing on March 4, 2025. Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images
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The mysterious disappearance of another close associate of Xi has fueled speculation that 71-year-old Xi’s health, whether political or physical, has taken a turn for the worse.
Some well-connected analysts said recently that Xi’s power struggle with Party elders has significantly weakened his control, leading to the ousting of his loyalists.
Regardless of the actual reasons behind these developments, the flurry of sudden shake-ups has placed the incoming fourth plenum into greater spotlight.
According to the CCP’s charter, its Central Committee holds a plenum at least once every year. The next conclave, known as the fourth plenum, is due to be held this year, which typically focuses on personal issues and Party buildings, though no date has been set.

Chen said that Miao’s removal hints that the plenum might convene “soon,” with potential “major personnel changes” to be unveiled.

Luo Ya contributed to this report.
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