Thieving officials: the fight against corruption has unfolded in China
On Wednesday, March 5, the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), which is referred to outside the PRC as the Parliament, will open in China. There are 19 names missing from the list of participants in this event — nine deputies from the army and ten officials. The official reason for their absence is not given, but usually the reason for exclusion is an investigation or termination of powers. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
We missed it
On the eve of the annual session of parliament, China's highest legislative Body excluded nine high-ranking military officers from the list of deputies of the National People's Congress. This is reported by the newspaper The South China Morning Post.
Among the suspended people's deputies are five generals: political Commissar of the Information Support Forces Li Wei, Commander of the Army Li Qiaoming, former Navy Commander Shen Jinlong, former Navy political Commissar Qin Shengxiang, former Air Force political Commissar Yu Zhongfu, as well as Lieutenant General Wang Donghai and three major generals — Bian Ruifeng, Ding Lifu and Yang Guang.
Ten civilian parliamentarians do not appear on the list either. Among them are the chairman of the military court and the Minister of Emergency Situations, as well as officials from the provinces.
The Chinese authorities do not name the reasons for the exclusion of these deputies from the list, however, as the newspaper notes, such personnel decisions are usually explained by a change in status, termination of powers or investigations.
Hunting for "tigers and flies"
After being elected head of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) in late 2012, Xi Jinping named the fight against corruption one of the priorities of his domestic policy. He said that "zero tolerance" should be shown to corrupt officials. And it is necessary to fight "both against flies (small-time bribe takers) and against tigers (large corrupt officials)."
Influential bribe—takers were actively fought against - they were banned from everything that was considered related to "corruption": lavish banquets, trips at public expense, trips to closed entertainment establishments, expensive gifts and the use of official cars.
Officials were also required to fly economy class on business trips, making an exception only for civil servants of ministerial rank. In addition, employees whose spouses and children permanently reside abroad were not allowed to be promoted. Party members are not allowed to hold lavish funerals for relatives.
The campaign has become large—scale, and anti-corruption revelations have affected a wide range of officials at various levels, both the central office and provincial departments.
Penalties for corruption in China are traditionally harsh. A bribe can result in a prison sentence of 10 years to life in prison with confiscation of property. In aggravating circumstances, the perpetrator may be sentenced to death.
Preparations for the future congress
The army in China has always been a de facto "state within a state," where the military enjoys many privileges. For example, they are actively creating their own companies.
However, it is not the first year that the Chinese president has been striving to make the army structure more open. In the previous three years, Xi Jinping dismissed five high-ranking generals. The arrest of Zhang Youxia, Deputy Chairman of the Central Military Council, caused the most public attention. He was considered a close associate of the Chinese leader, who had known him since childhood.
According to The Telegraph, the country's authorities are purging the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA), seeking to transform the world's second largest army into a modern combat-ready force, making it the leading state military structure by 2049.
In recent years, the focus of anti-corruption purges has shifted to the armed forces, confirms Alexey Maslov, director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Lomonosov Moscow State University.
— A very serious blow came in 2023, when, after allegations of corruption, the command of the Missile Forces of the People's Republic of China was actually completely renewed. In October 2025, two members of the Central Military Commission of China were dismissed from their posts and subsequently expelled from the party. More recently, two more members of this commission, who were responsible for both strategic planning and operational military leadership, also lost their posts.
According to him, Xi Jinping's personal power is further strengthening. He consistently reduces the influence of various regional and informal groups within the army.
— One of the notable roles in the Armed Forces was played by the so—called Fujian group, people from Fujian Province, with whom Xi Jinping associated the early stages of his career. Now many representatives of this group have also been removed from their posts," the political scientist draws attention.
There is no direct evidence of a conspiracy against the leader of the People's Republic of China or an attempted coup, the expert clarifies. Such rumors are mainly spread by the "yellow press", including outside mainland China, for example, in Taiwan.
— Some American and British publications have put forward the theory that some of the top military leadership could have transmitted data on the state of the Chinese military nuclear program to the United States. However, this theory is not supported by direct evidence either," the expert explains.
Maslov considers the version of large-scale corruption in the Chinese military environment to be the most plausible. Today, the Chinese armed forces are considered one of the largest sources of corrupt practices, especially in the distribution of defense government orders, as well as the promotion of relatives and associates to key positions.
The Izvestia interlocutor links the ongoing "purges" to another important factor — preparations for the 21st CPC Congress, scheduled for 2027.
— This congress traditionally involves serious personnel changes. On the eve of this event, Xi Jinping is conducting a large—scale and harsh purge of the army, seeking to approach the congress with the most controlled and loyal military elite," the Sinologist summarizes.
Improving efficiency
In turn, Ivan Zuenko, a leading researcher at the Center for World Politics and Strategic Analysis at the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences, notes in his Telegram channel that during his first two terms, Xi Jinping tried not to touch the army too much, fearing to lose the foundation of his power. However, now he has turned his attention to the generals, who, as it turned out, are mired in corruption. This was facilitated by the modernization of the army launched by the Chinese leader.
"Since the country cannot help but prepare for the Taiwan war (and it's not necessarily an invasion, the Chinese themselves believe that they will have to respond to provocations), there is a desire to clear the Augean Stables as much as possible in order to increase the effectiveness of the armed forces," the expert says, stressing that this is why the measures being taken are "loud." and demonstratively scandalous."
The Chinese authorities have concluded that in its current state, the PLA is not ready for a modern war, the expert says.
"Maybe not so much technically as mentally, so we need an update. In addition, the 21st CPC Congress will be held in the fall of 2027, and the army will definitely be a strong card in all matters related to the redistribution of power. In China, the power of the one who controls the army is an axiom," explains Zuenko.
Xi Jinping, in his opinion, feels that the military is not loyal enough to him and his agenda, so a year and a half before the congress, he resolutely "demolishes the entire top." At the same time, the country is now more immersed in the internal agenda, where there are also problems.
President of the People's Republic of China (PRC) Xi Jinping
The expert also draws attention to the fact that the ongoing changes are beneficial for Russia.
"A strong Russia needs a stable, calm, rich, predictable China, and everything else will follow," the analyst sums up.
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