In the most high-profile shake-up of China’s military leadership in decades, General He Weidong, the number-two officer in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and a key member of the Communist Party’s elite Politburo, has been removed from his post in a dramatic escalation of President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign within the armed forces.
According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, General He was quietly ousted in recent weeks. As vice-chair of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the PLA’s highest decision-making body led by Xi himself, He Weidong was effectively the third-most powerful figure in China’s military hierarchy. His removal marks the first time in nearly 60 years that someone of his rank has been purged — a move analysts say reflects the seriousness of Xi’s effort to consolidate control over the armed forces and eliminate internal dissent.
The exact reasons for He’s dismissal remain officially undisclosed. However, at least three sources suggest the general is under investigation for corruption — a charge that has become a common justification for political purges under Xi. One individual confirmed that He is currently being interrogated by Chinese authorities following his detention.
Speculation over He’s status had mounted in recent weeks due to his conspicuous absence from several key public events. Notably, he was missing from a recent Politburo meeting on foreign policy, which was attended by Zhang Youxia, the other vice-chair of the CMC. He also skipped an annual tree-planting ceremony led by President Xi, which he had attended the previous year.
The removal of He Weidong follows the suspension of another top CMC member, Miao Hua, last year for “serious violations of discipline” — a common euphemism for corruption in official Chinese parlance. Yet, observers note that He’s position makes his removal significantly more consequential.
“This is the first time since 1967 that a uniformed vice-chair of the CMC has been purged,” said Neil Thomas, a China expert at the Asia Society Policy Institute. “It sends a clear signal that Xi is not only serious about rooting out corruption in the military, but also about maintaining unchallenged authority over the PLA.”
Thomas noted that the PLA serves as a critical pillar of the Communist Party’s control, especially amid growing domestic challenges and strategic tensions abroad. “Xi wants a military that not only projects power beyond China’s borders, but also one that is unwaveringly loyal to him at home,” he said.
The purge of He is the latest in a broader campaign that has seen the removal of numerous high-ranking military and government officials. Over the past two years, Xi has also removed both commanders of the PLA Rocket Force, the branch overseeing China’s nuclear weapons, as well as two consecutive defense ministers — Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu.
Meanwhile, Qin Gang, a former foreign minister and close Xi aide, was abruptly dismissed last year. Although Dong Jun, another former defense minister, was reportedly investigated, sources now say he has been cleared and recently hosted Pakistan’s air force chief in Beijing.
With the latest shake-up, President Xi continues to demonstrate his resolve to centralize power and tighten control over China’s military establishment, even at the cost of disrupting long-standing hierarchies within the party and armed forces.
