Two former Chinese defense ministers have received death sentences with two-year reprieves following corruption convictions, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua, highlighting the extensive reach of President Xi Jinping’s military anti-corruption campaign.
Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, both former defense ministers, were handed the sentences Thursday as part of a sweeping purge that has targeted China’s military leadership since Xi assumed power in 2012. The anti-corruption drive has particularly focused on the military’s elite Rocket Force, responsible for both nuclear and conventional missile operations, beginning in 2023.
The crackdown has intensified this year, resulting in the dismissal of Zhang Youxia, the top-ranking general in the People’s Liberation Army and a Politburo member who was previously considered a close Xi ally.
According to previous Xinhua reporting, Li faced accusations of accepting “huge sums of money” through bribes while also paying bribes to others. Investigators determined he “did not fulfil political responsibilities” and “sought personnel benefits for himself and others”.
Wei’s 2023 investigation revealed he had taken “a huge amount of money and valuables” as bribes and “helped others gain improper benefits in personnel arrangements”, Xinhua reported in 2024. The news agency described his conduct as “extremely serious in nature, with a highly detrimental impact and tremendous harm”.
Under China’s legal system, death sentences with reprieve are generally converted to life imprisonment when defendants avoid additional criminal activity during the reprieve period.
Following such commutation, prisoners serve life terms without any possibility of additional sentence reductions or parole, Xinhua explained.
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, China’s continued military corruption investigations are creating significant gaps in command leadership and likely affecting the preparedness of the country’s rapidly advancing military forces.
