China removes 9 PLA generals from top legislature in sign of wider purge

Five past or current top commanders of elite PLA Rocket Force among those stripped of NPC role, Standing Committee statement issued on Friday says

Disqualifications suggest further disciplinary action, as NPC representatives enjoy immunity from arrest or criminal charges

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The military has been one of the main targets of President Xi Jinping’s far-reaching anti-corruption campaign. Photo: Handout

Published: 1:02pm, 30 Dec 2023Updated: 8:15pm, 30 Dec 2023

Nine generals of the People’s Liberation Army, including a number of senior members of the PLA Rocket Force, have been dismissed from China’s top legislature.

Besides losing their qualification as national representatives, those holding seats in relevant legislative committees had also been removed from their positions, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) announced on Friday. It gave no reason for the disqualifications.

Those dismissed include five past or serving top commanders of the PLA Rocket Force, a key component of the country’s nuclear arsenal, and a former air force commander.

Two of the others served in the Central Military Commission (CMC), while one is a naval commander.

The CMC is the top military command body in China’s political hierarchy, and is chaired by President Xi Jinping.

The ousted military men include Li Yuchao, commander of the rocket force from January last year before being replaced in July, and his former deputy, Zhang Zhenzhong. Zhang was the force’s deputy commander from 2016 to 2022 and then deputy chief of staff of the CMC Joint Staff Department.