China sacks 9 top military officers

New Delhi, December 30

China has abruptly purged a dozen officials linked with the defence sector, including nine senior military officers. These officers, including three generals, were removed from China’s National People’s Congress (NPC).

For the first time, the purged lot includes senior officers from the air force and the navy. In addition, there are three officers from the Central Military Commission (CMC) and four from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force. The decision was taken by the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and endorsed by the NPC. The nine military officers and three executives linked to the defence sector lost their seats in the NPC as well as sacked from the positions they held. The buzz in Chinese social media groups was that they were being probed for corruption and some of them were linked to an anti-corruption probe that led to the sacking of the previous defence minister. Their dismissals come days after the NPC appointed former naval commander Gen Dong Jun as the new defence minister.

Those whose membership was terminated from the NPC included Zhang Zhenzhong, Zhang Yulin, Rao Wenmin, Ju Xinchun, Ding Laihang, Lu Hong, Li Yuchao, Li Chuanguang and Zhou Yaning.