Xi's military purge deepens as China hands former defence ministers suspended death sentences

Beijing: China has sentenced former defence ministers, Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, to suspended death sentences on corruption charges, in what analysts describe as one of the harshest punishments imposed on senior military officials under President Xi Jinping's ongoing anti-graft campaign within the People's Liberation Army (PLA), as reported by Phayul.

According to Phayul, Chinese military courts found both officials guilty of accepting massive bribes and misusing their authority while serving in top defence positions. The verdicts, announced through Chinese state media, come amid an intensifying crackdown on senior PLA figures accused of corruption and political disloyalty.

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Li Shangfu was convicted of both taking and offering bribes during his tenure in military procurement and weapons development, while Wei Fenghe was found guilty of accepting bribes while holding senior command roles.

Both received death sentences with a two-year reprieve, a legal mechanism in China that is generally reduced to life imprisonment without parole if no further crimes are committed during the suspension period. The court also ordered the confiscation of all personal assets belonging to the two former ministers and permanently revoked their political rights.

The downfall of the two men marks a dramatic reversal for figures once considered central to China's military leadership. Both had served as state councillors and members of the powerful Central Military Commission, the Communist Party body overseeing the PLA under Xi Jinping. Li Shangfu disappeared from public view in 2023 before China confirmed his dismissal and expulsion from the Communist Party over corruption allegations, as highlighted by Phayul.

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Before becoming the defence minister, Li headed the Equipment Development Department and was previously sanctioned by the United States for facilitating Russian arms purchases. Wei Fenghe, meanwhile, served as China's defence minister from 2018 to 2023 and was the inaugural commander of the PLA Rocket Force, which supervises China's nuclear and missile arsenal, as reported by Phayul.