Deputies from the Chinese Military walk together as they arrive at the second plenary session of the National Peoples Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 8, 2025. Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has removed six senior military representatives from the country’s rubber-stamp legislature, the latest sign that CCP leader Xi Jinping’s years-long campaign to reshape the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) continues to reach the military’s highest ranks.
The Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) announced the removals at the conclusion of a legislative session on June 26, according to state media Xinhua News Agency. The officials lost their qualifications as NPC deputies, though the regime did not provide reasons for the decision.
Those removed include Wang Kangping from the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command, Xu Xueqiang from the Central Military Commission’s Equipment Development Department, Li Fengbiao from the PLA’s Western Theater Command, Yin Hongxing from the PLA Army, Guo Puxiao from the PLA Air Force, and Zhang Minghua from the PLA Cyberspace Force.
The rubber-stamp legislature periodically adjusts its list of deputies, but the removal of multiple senior military figures at once has become increasingly associated with disciplinary investigations or anti-corruption probes, although Beijing rarely discloses specific allegations. Officials did not announce any criminal charges or investigations involving the six officers.
The latest changes come as Xi continues a sweeping overhaul of the PLA, a campaign that has intensified since 2022. Numerous senior commanders, particularly from the Rocket Force and defense establishment, were removed from office or placed under investigation. The biggest escalation came in January, when the regime purged two of the most senior military officials who were once promoted by Xi himself.
Military appointments and dismissals have become increasingly frequent under Xi, who has repeatedly emphasized that the PLA must remain absolutely loyal to the CCP. The anti-corruption drive has reached senior officers across multiple branches of the military, including the Navy, Air Force, Army, Rocket Force, and newer organizations, such as the Information Support Force.
The NPC serves as China’s rubber-stamp legislature, while its Standing Committee exercises legislative powers between the body’s annual plenary sessions. Although the loss of NPC membership does not automatically indicate criminal wrongdoing, previous removals of senior military deputies have often preceded formal disciplinary announcements by the regime.
The latest personnel changes underscore the continuing uncertainty within the CCP’s senior military leadership despite Xi’s more than decade-long effort to modernize the PLA and consolidate his power over the armed forces. The repeated turnover among top officers could reflect both the breadth of the anti-corruption campaign and the leadership’s continuing concerns about political reliability within the military.
