China has removed six senior military officers, former financial regulator Li Yunze, and ex-Politburo member Ma Xingrui from their positions in the National People’s Congress (NPC), signaling that President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign remains firmly focused on the country’s political and military elite.
According to a notice issued by China’s NPC Standing Committee and reported by Xinhua News Agency, the officials were stripped of their lawmaker status without any explanation. The removals are being seen as the latest step in Xi’s long-running crackdown on corruption and disloyalty within the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Senior PLA Commanders Removed Amid Growing Military Purge
Among the most prominent officials removed is General Xu Xueqiang, who headed the Equipment Development Department under the Central Military Commission (CMC). The department oversees the development, testing, and procurement of military hardware for the PLA. Xu has also served as commander-in-chief of China’s manned space program since 2022.
Other senior military figures stripped of their parliamentary status include General Li Fengbiao, political commissar of the PLA Western Theatre Command; General Guo Puxiao, political commissar of the PLA Air Force; Lieutenant General Wang Kangping of the Eastern Theatre Command; Lieutenant General Zhang Minghua of the Cyberspace Force; and Lieutenant General Yin Hongxing of the Army.
The removals add to an ongoing purge that has already shaken the upper ranks of China’s military establishment. Reports suggest several of these commanders had shown signs of falling out of favor long before the official action.
Missing Meetings and Inspections Raised Questions
According to the South China Morning Post, General Xu Xueqiang missed a key Communist Party meeting in October last year, sparking speculation about an internal investigation.
Lieutenant General Wang Kangping attended the same gathering but was not elevated to full membership in the Communist Party’s Central Committee, an unusual omission for an officer of his rank. Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Yin Hongxing was notably absent during Xi Jinping’s surprise military inspection in Tibet last August.
These incidents had already fueled rumors of disciplinary action within the PLA.
Former Xinjiang Chief Ma Xingrui Also Ousted
Beyond the military, the NPC also removed Ma Xingrui, the former Communist Party chief of Xinjiang, and Li Yunze, former head of China’s National Financial Regulatory Administration.
Ma, once a member of the Communist Party’s powerful Politburo, stepped down as Xinjiang party secretary in July last year. At the time, state media said he would be assigned another role, but in April this year, China’s anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), launched an investigation into him.
Li Yunze’s profile was quietly removed from the financial regulator’s official website earlier this year before a successor was named, further indicating internal scrutiny.
Xi’s Anti-Corruption Campaign Tightens Grip on Power
Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption drive, launched more than a decade ago, has transformed into one of the most significant political campaigns in modern China. While officially aimed at rooting out corruption, analysts say it has also helped Xi consolidate power by removing rivals and tightening control over the military and state institutions.
The campaign has already brought down dozens of senior PLA officers and top Communist Party officials. Of the seven Central Military Commission members appointed during the 2022 Communist Party Congress, only Xi Jinping and anti-corruption chief Zhang Shengmin remain in office.
Speaking during China’s annual legislative meetings in March, Xi emphasized that the military remains a central target of the campaign.
“The armed forces wield the gun. There must never be room in the military for those half-hearted towards the party, nor any sanctuary for the corrupt,” Xi said.
The latest removals underline how Xi’s anti-corruption purge continues to reshape China’s political, military, and financial institutions, reinforcing his authority at the top while sending a clear message across the Communist Party hierarchy.