China has removed three retired military generals, including a former commander of the People’s Liberation Army ground forces, from its top political advisory body just days before the country’s largest annual political gathering. State media reported Monday that the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference voted to expel Han Weiguo, Gao Jin and Liu Lei, without providing any official explanation.
The removals come amid an accelerating purge of senior military figures and renewed focus on discipline within China’s armed forces. President Xi Jinping has launched repeated anti-corruption campaigns since taking power in 2012, though critics argue the drive is also used to sideline political rivals and consolidate authority.
The decision is unusual because CPPCC members typically serve full five-year terms, which are not due to end until March 2028. The dismissals were announced just ahead of the annual “Two Sessions,” when nearly 3,000 delegates from the advisory body and the National People’s Congress gather in Beijing for a week of closely watched political meetings.
Han Weiguo, 70, served as commander of the People’s Liberation Army ground forces from 2017 until his retirement in 2021. Liu Lei, also 70, was the army’s political commissar from 2015 to 2022, overlapping with Han’s tenure. Gao Jin, 67, was the first commander of the now-defunct Strategic Support Force and later headed the Central Military Commission’s Logistic Support Department until retiring in 2022.
Several other CPPCC members were also dismissed, including Zhang Kejian, a senior defense industry official currently under investigation for corruption. The shake-up follows a wave of recent removals. Authorities last week announced the dismissal of 19 officials, nine of them from the military. Earlier this year, China’s top general Zhang Youxia and his close ally Liu Zhenli were stripped of their posts for alleged “serious violations of discipline and law,” according to the defense ministry.
The latest actions underscore intensifying scrutiny of the armed forces at a sensitive political moment. With the Two Sessions set to begin, analysts say the removals signal Beijing’s determination to project control and discipline within the military while reinforcing Xi’s authority over China’s political and security institutions.
