Two former Chinese defense ministers have been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for corruption in one of the most severe punishments handed down to senior military officials in recent years, underscoring President Xi Jinping's long-running anti-corruption campaign within the armed forces.
Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu received the suspended death sentences on May 7th following graft convictions by China's military court, according to state media. 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.
"The sentences signal an escalation in Xi's campaign to root out corruption in the People's Liberation Army, a drive that has targeted senior officials since he took power in 2012 while simultaneously eliminating potential rivals to his authority."
Wei Fenghe, seventy-two, served as China's defense minister from 2018 to 2023, while Li Shangfu, sixty-eight, held the post for only a few months as his successor. Both men were former state councillors and members of the powerful Central Military Commission, 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 harsh sentences against two consecutive defense ministers who both previously led this critical force raise questions about whether Xi's anti-corruption campaign serves solely to eliminate graft or also functions as purge mechanism removing potential threats to his consolidation of absolute power.
In this case, the penalties will be reduced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or further commutation after the reprieve period ends. The severity of punishment—death sentences even if suspended—demonstrates Xi's determination to maintain absolute control over military leadership while warning other officials that corruption charges can be deployed against anyone regardless of rank or proximity to power.
The death sentences against two former defense ministers demonstrate Xi Jinping's iron grip over China's military and willingness to eliminate senior officials who could threaten his authority. While framed as anti-corruption enforcement, the pattern of purges targeting successive leaders of strategically critical forces like the Rocket Force suggests these prosecutions serve dual purposes—removing genuine corruption while conveniently eliminating potential rivals. The harsh sentences send clear messages to Chinese military leadership that absolute loyalty to Xi matters more than rank, experience, or past service to the Communist Party.