Two former Chinese defence ministers were given suspended death sentences for bribery on Thursday, after being convicted by China’s military court, in some of the most severe punishments to be handed down in a years-long purge of the military.
Chinese state media Xinhua announced on Thursday that Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe were both sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, meaning that their sentences will probably be commuted to life imprisonment if Li and Wei demonstrate good behaviour.
Xinhua said that no further parole would be allowed, and that the two men were stripped of their political rights for life and all of their personal property. The sentences are expected to serve as a warning to other generals in the armed forces that even seniority and connections can not serve as a protection from purges.
Li was defence minister for seven months in 2023. His predecessor was Wei, who served in that post for five years.
The position of defence minister wield little actual power in China, as military affairs are handled by the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist party. But both men previously held roles which gave them access to large budgets and sensitive equipment.
Li was head of the military equipment procurement department between 2017 and 2022. Wei previously headed the Rocket Force of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), responsible for China’s nuclear arsenal.
Chinese state media previously said that Li was guilty of “serious violation of Party discipline and the law”. It said that an investigation found that Li “sought improper benefits in personnel arrangements for himself and others, took advantage of his posts to seek benefits for others, and accepted a huge amount of money and valuables in return.”
The two men were among the first and the most high profile military figures to be targeted in a sweeping crackdown on the armed forces, which has seen more than 100 senior military officers purged or potentially purged since 2022 according to a study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The tally includes people who have disappeared from public view with no explanation.
Since coming to power in 2012, China’s leader Xi Jinping has made cracking down on corruption a central pillar of his rule. In the past few years, the anti-graft campaign has targeted the People’s Liberation Army, raising questions about the armed forces’ military readiness as the purges deplete the PLA’s high command.
In January, Xi purged Zhang Youxia, the second-highest ranking commander in China’s military after Xi himself.