China has abruptly removed two high-ranking military lawmakers from its national parliament, the latest sign of a continuing purge within the nation’s defense establishment, Bloomberg reports.
The removals come without a clear explanation and signal that the sweeping anti-corruption campaign targeting the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is intensifying.
The National People’s Congress Standing Committee announced the revocation of membership for You Haitao and Li Pengcheng during a meeting on Wednesday. You Haitao, formerly a deputy commander of the PLA Ground Force, and Li Pengcheng, the navy commander of the Southern Theater Command which oversees the South China Sea, were both removed from their parliamentary positions. Li Pengcheng had previously replaced Ju Xinchun, who was also purged from parliament a year prior.
The legislative body cited “suspected violations of law and discipline,” the standard terminology used by the Communist Party when referring to corruption, as the reason for their ouster. These actions suggest the anti-corruption campaign, which initially targeted the PLA’s equipment procurement unit and the Rocket Force last summer, is expanding further through the military.
The removals come on the heels of other significant changes in the Chinese military. Just last month, China suspended a senior official on the Central Military Commission, the nation’s highest military body led by President Xi Jinping. Earlier this week, China unexpectedly named a new political commissar for the Ground Force.
The United States Defense Department has expressed concerns that these ongoing corruption investigations could hinder China’s military modernization efforts.
President Xi Jinping, who holds the most power in China since Mao Zedong, has been further tightening his control over the military. Earlier this year, he ordered a major reorganization of the armed forces, replacing the Strategic Support Force with three new branches. He also convened the first military-political work conference since 2014, a platform he previously used to assert his authority over the PLA.
