China strips military lawmakers as Xi Jinping's anti-corruption drive deepens
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- China's National People's Congress removed six military lawmakers on Friday, per state-run Xinhua, citing an NPC Standing Committee notice that gave no reason for the dismissals.
- Li Yunze, former head of China's financial regulator, and Ma Xingrui, a recently probed Politburo member, were among those stripped of their NPC posts.
- General Xu Xueqiang, head of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission and commander-in-chief of China's Manned Space Programme since 2022, was also removed.
- General Li Fengbiao (PLA Western Theatre Command political commissar), General Guo Puxiao (PLA Air Force political commissar), Wang Kangping (Eastern Theatre Command), Zhang Minghua (Cyberspace Force), and Yin Hongxing (Army) were all dismissed alongside Xu.
- China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and none of the removed officials could be reached.
- The dismissals are the latest escalation in Xi Jinping's years-long anti-corruption campaign, which the source notes has already seen scores of senior officials and top generals investigated, removed, and purged.
Why it matters: The purge now reaches the head of PLA military equipment procurement and the commander of China's manned space programme — roles central to defense modernization and prestige national projects. The unexplained nature of all six removals and the silence from the defence ministry underscore the opaque, top-down character of Xi's enforcement, with no visible slowdown in targeting senior military brass.
