In a significant crackdown on corruption within China’s military ranks, two former Chinese defense ministers have been handed death sentences with a two-year reprieve. This marks one of the harshest penalties imposed on high-ranking military officials in recent years.
According to a report by Reuters, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were sentenced on May 7 by China’s military court after being convicted of graft, as reported by state media.
This verdict highlights the extent of President Xi Jinping’s ongoing anti-corruption efforts targeting the armed forces, according to the outlet.
The official Xinhua News Agency detailed that Wei was found guilty of accepting bribes, whereas Li faced convictions for both accepting and offering bribes, based on the court’s findings.
Wei Fenghe held the position of China’s defense minister from 2018 to 2023. (Adriano Machado / Reuters)
In addition to their sentences, both individuals have been permanently stripped of their political rights and all personal assets have been confiscated.
Under Chinese law, a death sentence with a two-year reprieve is typically commuted to life imprisonment if the individual does not commit further crimes during the suspension period.
In this case, the penalties will be reduced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or further commutation after the reprieve period ends.
Former Defence Minister Li Shangfu was the successor to Wei (Caroline Chia / Reuters)
Wei Fenghe, 72, served as China’s defense minister from 2018 to 2023, while Li Shangfu, 68, held the post for only a few months as his successor.
Both men were former state councillors and members of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), the top military leadership body chaired by Xi.
They also previously led the People’s Liberation Army’s Rocket Force, a key branch established in 2015 as part of Xi’s sweeping military reforms.
The Rocket Force oversees China’s nuclear arsenal as well as its conventional missile systems, making it one of the most strategically significant arms of the military.
The sentences signal an escalation in Xi’s campaign to root out corruption in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), a drive that has targeted senior officials since he took power in 2012.
Chinese President Xi Jinping walks with soldiers in uniform as the House Select Committee on China raises concerns about taxpayer dollars going to CCP-linked entities. (Li Gang/Xinhua)
The crackdown intensified in 2023, when investigations reached the Rocket Force and other elite units.
Both Wei and Li were expelled from the ruling Communist Party in June 2024.
Singapore-based security scholar James Char told Reuters the sentences were the harshest imposed on members of the Central Military Commission in recent history.
“That Wei and Li have been commuted to life imprisonment without parole or commutation underlines the severity of their offences,” he said.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a London-based think tank, had previously warned that the ongoing purges could be weakening China’s military command structure.
The organization said the campaign may have created disruptions that could affect the readiness of the country’s rapidly modernizing armed forces.
