(Al Jazeera Media Network) Two of China’s highest-ranking officers and seven other senior military officials have been expelled from the ruling Communist Party and the military on suspicion of serious misconduct linked to corruption, according to the country’s Defence Ministry.
He Weidong, China’s second-highest-ranking general, and navy admiral Miao Hua, the Chinese military’s former top political officer, are the latest senior military officials to be targeted in a campaign against corruption in the People’s Liberation Army.
General He’s removal is the first of a sitting commander in the Central Military Commission since the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution.
He had not been seen in public since March, and the investigation into his activities was not previously disclosed by Chinese authorities.
In the announcement of their expulsion on Friday, General He, Admiral Miao and the seven other senior military officials were accused of having “seriously violated Party discipline and are suspected of serious duty-related crimes involving an extremely large amount of money.”
Defence Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said in a statement that the alleged offences were “of a grave nature, with extremely detrimental consequences,” and lauded the purge as a “significant achievement in the Party and military’s anticorruption campaign.”
The expulsion of 68-year-old He has implications beyond the military as the former commander also sat on the 24-member Politburo, the ruling Communist Party’s second-highest echelon of power.
