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In a dramatic turn of events, two former Chinese defense ministers have been handed death sentences with a two-year reprieve for their involvement in corruption. This stern verdict marks one of the harshest penalties imposed on high-ranking military officials in recent memory.
As reported by Reuters, state media disclosed that Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were sentenced on May 7 following their corruption convictions by China’s military court. This ruling shines a light on the ongoing intensity of President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption efforts within the country’s armed forces.
The official Xinhua News Agency detailed the charges, revealing that Wei was found guilty of accepting bribes, while Li faced convictions for both accepting and offering bribes. The court documents further elaborate on their misconduct, emphasizing the severity of their offenses.
Additionally, the court has stripped both individuals of their political rights indefinitely and ordered the confiscation of all their personal assets, underscoring the comprehensive nature of the penalties imposed.
Both men were also stripped of their political rights for life and ordered to forfeit all personal property.
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.
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 councilors 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.
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.