China Ousts Nine Military Lawmakers as Xi’s Defense Purge Widens

Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping Photographer: Ken Ishii/Pool/Getty Images
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China removed nine military lawmakers from its national parliament in the latest sign that President Xi Jinping’s purge of key defense establishment personnel continues to widen.

The country’s top legislative body revoked the membership of five generals along with four other officials, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday. The report cited a notice from the National People’s Congress Standing Committee that gave no reason for the dismissals.

The ousters shrink the military delegation to the National People’s Congress to 243, the smallest since at least 1974, just days before lawmakers are set to gather to review government work and a development plan for the next five years.

Beijing hasn’t yet publicly named replacements for the affected personnel including Ground Force Commander Li Qiaoming and Information Support Force Political Commissar Li Wei. The successors for generals would typically be unveiled at a promotion ceremony.

The removals come just a few weeks after Xi’s move to probe his top general and one-time ally, Zhang Youxia. The investigation marked the most stunning development yet in China’s biggest military purge in roughly half a century. Beijing hasn’t given an official reason for the investigations beyond saying the men are suspected of “serious discipline and law violations.”

The Chinese leader began his campaign to root out corruption in the armed forces in mid-2023, months after securing a precedent-defying third term. Since then, two vice military chairs, three CMC members, a former defense minister, along with at least a dozen senior generals who oversaw military commands have been ousted.

Li Qiaoming succeeded former joint chief of staff Liu Zhenli in 2022 and worked alongside now-disgraced political commissar Qin Shutong in the world’s largest standing ground force. Li was already missing from a key party meeting in October.

Li Wei’s removal suggests new branches of the PLA weren’t spared. Li joined the Information Support Force when it was created by Xi in 2024, hailing from the now-defunct Strategic Support Force.

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